100 Themes
by baby.turtle.cute
Summary: 100 Different themes, 100 reasons to love Jareth, or hate him. Mostly love him though.
1. Broken Pieces Theme 76

Labyrinth 100 Theme Challenge

Theme 76: Broken Pieces (October 31, 2010)-dedicated to Alex…

So, I'm not really a member of it but I did know what they were talking about when people referenced the 100-theme challenge. I'm actually doing an art version from deviantart. Either way because I have nothing to do with my time, or need some sort of distraction, I decided to take up the challenge. So I have people pick random numbers and pick then do the corresponding theme. This is the first one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth… if I did, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction I'd be rolling in the millions I made… I am not making any profit on this; if I were, please see previous statement. The characters you don't recognize are mine, and I don't even make any money off them. I should, but I don't. So either way, I have no money.

He cursed the girl. He cursed the book, and the day he gave her that book. He cursed her childish innocence that did not see the value in his offer, and he even cursed himself for thinking that he could play the game and keep her. After her refusal, Jareth had flown to her window. There was no logical reason why he should go there, but some small shattered fragment of hope compelled him to cross the boundaries between his world and hers. He sat on a tree branch outside her window, his large owlish eyes watching the festivities going on inside. There was no second chance for him now, and he flew away more injured and shattered than before.

Another crystal formed in the palm of his hand as he thought about that night. _Even the fireys were there! _He thought angrily and threw the crystal across the room. It shattered on the wall underneath the giant clock that kept time for his runners. He'd spent the past three days lying across his throne, throwing crystals. No one dared come into the throne room, and not even the pit of goblins stirred from sleeping. He'd accumulated a nice collection of broken crystal pieces in that particular spot. He enjoyed watching them shatter. It was symbolic; everything in the Labyrinth was broken. Life seemed to stop as the king did; no one really wanted to fix anything until the king gave orders. There were times when he would make changes to make things better for his people and harder for his runners.

He didn't really notice when she entered the throne room; he was too busy wallowing in self-pity. "You're wasting crystals." She admonished him. Jareth stopped in mid throw and gazed at the small collection, each one a specific though, piece of anger he was unleashing on the unmoving wall. He'd lost his train of thought with this crystal.

"I have an infinite supply." He responded tartly, throwing the crystal against the wall. It shattered and made tinkling noises as it landed among the others. He sighed and leaned his head into his hand. "Was there a specific purpose that you came?" He asked her. "I'm doing important things here." He turned to look at her. She wasn't wearing her usual military garb. Instead, she was wearing a pair of leggings, and short dress style jerkin. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She wasn't coming from the camp grounds she must have granted leave for a little while. "You're not supposed to be here anyway."

She stepped forward slightly. "I usually find it in the best interest of the kingdom to see why _goblins_ are telling me that their king is behaving like a petulant child." She made another step forward, coming towards him around the pit. "And to find their reports so accurate is remarkably disturbing." Jareth let her words stand for a moment as he thought over them. He was hurt; he had no reason not to behave like a petulant child. Since her words did not elicit a response, she continued. "You should get over it and behave like a king, not a toddler who didn't get his way."

He sat up his throne and glared at her. "Who are you to tell me how I should behave?" He demanded with his kingly authority. She didn't flinch, and he stood.

"A voice of your injured people," she responded sharply. They advanced on each other. "They are awaiting orders from the king, and wondering why he left this whipped dog in his stead." By this time, they were only inches from each other. "Also, they request that the king, when he returns, to get off his royal derriere and rebuild the Labyrinth." She finished, and in response, Jareth slapped her hard enough to turn her face, and push her back, but she didn't falter. She never faltered.

"The people know nothing of my injury!" He yelled in her face.

"What injury? Some little child refused you? Very well then, but what has that to do with your kingdom? She denied you, yes; you've denied millions."

"This one was—"

"She was nothing to you and she's gone now, so you have nothing more to say about her. Put her out of your mind, Jareth." He looked at her darkly, and saw her body slightly tense for any type of physical response. He didn't move, and they stood there for a few beats just waiting for the other to move. "They should have no idea that there is any injury on your part. You're a monarch, Jareth; you haven't the luxury of injury." She said finally. Her eyes glanced at the curtain covering the viewing window. She moved around the king and went to the window, drawing back the curtains.

Light penetrated the room completely, rousing the pit of goblins in the pit. It hit the crystal shards and reflected light on every wall. Jareth closed his mismatched eyes to allow his eyes to adjust, and when he opened them, he saw her standing by the window looking down. He glared at her darkly; the curtains were closed for a good reason. He didn't want to see the chaos that cursed girl left behind of his kingdom. The Labyrinth use the goblin half of the city to repel runners, and when the beast called down the rocks, it damaged the entire city. The confusion that tormented him also tormented his people.

"There was a reason those curtains were closed."

"Jareth," her voice was frank, "we're all a little broken in some way or another after her run. It's time to pick up the pieces and move on." He didn't respond. He had nothing further to say to her. She sensed as much, and left the room and went down the corridor. He could hear the soles of her flat shoes padding softly on the stone floor.

Once he was sure he was alone, he moved towards the window and looked at the people milling down below, mostly goblins since the better citizens wouldn't move out of doors with the Labyrinth in such a destroyed state. It was as if the Labyrinth was holding its breath waiting for their king to let his out. He closed his eyes, and sat in the window. Conjuring a few crystals in the palm of his hands, he rolled them expertly around his hand and then let them light down to float over the kingdom. They were carrying his orders out to all the goblins, time to rebuild. Even the pit of goblins was empty and some of the higher ones were busying themselves with cleaning the throne room, starting with the broken crystal shards. He could feel some one watching him and glanced at the doorway, where he saw her again her icy slate blue eyes watching him with quietly.

"Put out orders to start rebuilding, and have a goblin bring me some of those pardons." He said to her, turning away to settle back into his window seat.

"Yes, your majesty." She said bowing her head reverently.

Fin

Yeah, I know it's not the best thing, they are rough sketches, and yeah I do have an oc. This particular little dear is dedicated to my friend Alex, because he's the one I made surf the internet, because mine was retarded and get me the challenge list. Isn't that a good friend, because Jareth scares him. Not because he's a coward, but think about it girls, isn't the hotness of Jareth intimidating for guys.

Alex: NO! Think about it Baby turtle, just think about it.

Baby turtle: I am.

Alex: EW!

Anyway, read and review… make alex feel better about the things I torture him into doing.


	2. Heaven Theme 7

Labyrinth 100 Theme Challenge

Theme 7: 7 minutes in Heaven (November 05, 2010)-dedicated to Rob

Ok, so this one gave me a little more trouble. How does one incorporate Heaven in writing about the Labyrinth? I decided to go an entirely different route, because Jareth made me. No, just kidding, I can't kill the characters it's bad for business.

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth… if I did, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction I'd be rolling in the millions I made… I am not making any profit on this, if I were, please see previous statement. The characters you don't recognize are mine, and I don't even make any money off them. I should, but I don't. So either way, I have no money.

There were two facts which Sarah Williams, Lady of the Labyrinth, was very well aware: it was pouring rain, and she was bored. A few hours ago, she'd wandered into the study where Ivory and Jareth were working. The monarch and his general advisor were going over some type of national document. Sarah wasn't really sure since she had tuned Ivory out when she was explaining it. Jareth, irritated at the interruption, pointed out that Sarah had yet to clean the ever-growing pile of paper junk and documents in the far right corner of the study, so kindly labeled, "Sarah's Crap".

Feeling that now was the best time to go through her crap, since it would seem that there was nothing better to do, Sarah dragged a plush cushioned chair across the room. She ignored the glares that both Jareth and Ivory gave her as the chair scrapped against the floor. Once she had the chair situated next to a pile of boxes, Sarah flopped down and began rummaging through the junk. She happened across some old love letters between her and a sixteen-year-old boyfriend, Anthony Wallace. She leaned back in the chair, and began reading a few of the letters, and her mind began to wander. Soon, it was hard to ignore the steady lull rain pattering on the window, as well as how comfortable the chair was.

"Let's play spin the bottle!" A voice Sarah had not heard in years called out. She turned around and saw Anthony. He hadn't changed from when he was sixteen at all. She recognized the house they were in as her old Victorian style home. It was odd, and then to make things even stranger, she saw Ivory, her brother Asher, and Jareth, all of them sixteen as well.

"No, seven minutes in heaven." Asher countered. He didn't look incredibly different from the man, maybe just a little more boyish and his long red hair was cropped close to his head with a shaggy bang and his trademark black streak of hair crossing his left eye. He looked sort of emo, which Sarah could see him being in high school.

"Why do we need to play either?" Ivory said tersely. Unlike her brother, Ivory looked completely different. She looked like little girl; her muscles weren't hard, and had a layer of baby fat over them. She was ganglier and rounder than the woman Ivory. Her hair was unruly and she barely seemed to keep it back in a ponytail that rested high on her head.

Asher made a face at her. "Oh, shut up you wet blanket. No one wants to kiss you anyway." He snapped at her. Ivory rolled her eyes

"I don't know about you Asher, but I'm not particularly interested in kissing my sibling." Asher wrinkled his nose and shuddered.

"Oh, go kiss a goblin, Ivory." He retorted. Affronted, his sister moved away to stand next to the Goblin King—well prince. Jareth didn't look any different, just younger, and a little more arrogant.

Asher then turned to Sarah. "Which game would you like to play, Sarah?" He asked with a mischievous twinkle in his turquoise blue eyes.

Sarah moved a little closer the group. "Well," she said apprehensively. "I guess we can play seven minutes in heaven." Asher smiled widely, and produced a green scarf.

"Seven minutes in heaven it is." He announced loudly, eliciting a groan from his sister, who still had no desire to kiss anyone. "We blindfold the girls and then kiss them; they have to guess who it is." He grabbed Sarah by the hand and sat her in one of those ugly periwinkle chairs Karen had bought in the eighties, and never updated.

"Wait," Sarah said, as he put the scarf over her eyes. "Out here in the open? Where everyone can see?" She asked, apprehension turning into dread.

"Well, it's to prevent cheating. I know Ivory will cheat, she's good at it." Sarah couldn't see Ivory's face, but she could imagine the evil glare she was shooting at Asher, and smirked. Once the scarf was secure around her eyes, Sarah heard the room go quiet. It was quiet for a few seconds longer than she liked and it made her nervous.

"Where'd everybody go?" She called out.

"The boys are in the kitchen deciding who goes first." Ivory responded. Sarah relaxed for a few minutes, until she felt someone take her chin. She tried to guess based on hand size, it was a fairly large hand, but thin. She could sense someone hovering close to her face. She inhaled and got a nose full of spice. That was a tossup, it was either Jareth or Asher, and she couldn't really be sure. They both smelled like the Underground, which had its own spicy smell. This kiss itself was awkward. He fumbled a little bit and it didn't last for seven minutes. Sarah had to pull away. This was sending mixed signals. She didn't imagine that Jareth was a bad kisser, and she knew that Asher wasn't, so it left Anthony, but smell—maybe it was Jareth. There was some rustling as the person moved away; he bumped his foot—maybe not Jareth.

"Do I guess now?"

"No," Ivory responded. She had to talk about everything since hearing the boys voices would mean that she would know where they were. "Wait until the others go."

The next contestant approached. He smelt like something from Hollister, but he was wearing gloves. This confused her even more, so this was Jareth, but then the smell. He kissed her gently. He massaged her lips very gently. The kiss was familiar, this was Asher, despite what all her other tells said. This kiss lasted for about seven minutes. When it was over, Sarah smiled to herself.

One left, this one was different. A pair of gloved hands gripped her chin and kissed her roughly. That was unmistakably Jareth. She ended it quickly, before he bruised her mouth. "Ow, gosh Jareth, that hurt!" She yelled when he pulled away. She heard him chuckle lightly. She pulled the scarf up, and looked at the guys. Anthony was wearing Asher's scarf, and Asher had a pair of gloves on and Anthony's Jacket. "Har, har, very funny guys. Ok, so the first one was Anthony, and the second one was Asher, and the third was Jareth." She rolled her eyes.

"Did you enjoy it Sarah?" Jareth asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. She felt her face go red and she looked down. Everyone, except for Ivory, laughed. She was less than thrilled with the antics they were displaying. She felt that kissing people was a very intimate thing and should only be reserved for a significant other.

Ready to get the focus off her, Sarah stood up and walked over to Ivory. "You're turn." She said holding out the scarf. Ivory looked up at her and sighed. She grudgingly took the scarf and sat in the periwinkle chair. Her brother tied it on her.

"Don't cheat, Ivory. We all know your senses are keener than most." She snapped. Sarah watched the guys file out of the room, and exchange clothing. Since Ivory could use her sense of smell better than the rest, the boys actually had to change shirts. They crept back into the room. Asher went first; he kissed Ivory on the forehead. That was easy enough for her to guess. Jareth was next, he was kissing her intently, and she didn't mind.

Sarah was sitting across the room, and Asher was sitting on the armrest. He was stroking her hair. "Sarah," he whispered softly. "Sarah, wake up."

Sarah opened her eyes groggily. She looked up and Asher was over her, smiling warmly. "Wake up my dear." She tried to understand what exactly he was getting at. "You were asleep."

"Really?" She asked sitting up and stretching. Her back popped a few times. "Wow, I didn't realize." He laughed quietly.

"I figured as much. I would have let you sleep, but you were talking and getting on Ivory's nerves, though her existence is annoying." He yelled the last half at his sister, who just glared at him from across the room.

Sarah laughed trying to hide her embarrassment. "Wow, I guess, yeah, thanks."

"Well, either, way, tea's ready in the Great Hall whenever you're ready to come down." He said with a smile. Sarah nodded and stood up to walk after him, but had to stop when the notes she was reading earlier dropped on the floor.

"Darn," she grumbled. Ivory walked towards her.

"Do you need help Sarah?" She asked politely.

"No," Sarah just put the things on the throw away pile and walked to Ivory who waited.

They were walking quietly, when Ivory turned to Sarah. "Sarah, what exactly is seven minutes in heaven?" She asked her. Sarah stared at her blankly and felt yet another blush creep on her face.

Fin

Ok, so Rob would pick heaven, because he's heavenly. Lol

Jareth: I thought I was heavenly.

Baby Turtle: Yeah, but you're taken and not by me.

Jareth: But I'm heavenly right?

Baby Turtle: *blank Look* anyway, so this one gave me a little bit of trouble, I tried thinking of heaven getting interrupted for Jareth's buble bath time… but then this popped in my head. Alex kinda killed it though, saying most stds are transferred through kissing games… Anyway, r&r!


	3. Light Theme 3

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 3: Light (November 28, 2010)–dedicated to Shawnah

I stared up into the last glimmer of light as the hands shut the trapdoor, and then it was gone. I almost imagined I could hear them laughing. I waited for a few minutes for it to reopen, but it never did. I was alone with no light. I sighed and looked around, not that I couldn't see anything. After a few seconds I tried to feel where the trap door was, but when my hand touched the first cobweb, I screamed. I wished there was some light in here. This was like a never-ending pit of darkness and since I wasn't about to explore the space, I had no idea of how big it was.

I was tired of standing and sat down; hugging my knees close to me, still wishing for light I never realized how precious it was to me until I didn't have it. I guess that was the point of the Labyrinth. To make you realize how much things meant to you. After I wished Toby away; I immediately regretted it. I wanted him back; he was my baby brother, and my responsibility. I was so stupid to have thought that I could just wish him away and everything would go on fine and dandy. I sat there a little bit longer, still wishing for some light.

I heard a noise behind me and instinctively jumped to my feet. "Who's there?" I demanded.

"Me," a vaguely familiar voice replied. I heard another noise, and suddenly a small candle illuminated the room. I could see Hoggle's face, and finally the actual space as well. It wasn't very large, and in a corner there was a skeleton. Sickened, I looked back to Hoggle. I was incredibly glad to see him, or well more glad to see anything. Being in the dark made me feel completely alone, and I had actually longed for some light. If the light came with company, I wasn't going to complain, even if it were Hoggle.

"Oh, it's you." I said excitedly. I was happy to see anyone, or thing for that matter.

"Oh, yes, well," he paused as if he were thinking and then moved on, "I knew you were going to get in trouble, so I've come to give you a hand." He said. I didn't quite like his tone. He seemed like he was scheming about something. While he was talking I started looking around the room. The area was small; probably about the same size as my room. I saw some bones in a corner and looked away. He laughed. "Oh, you're looking around. I suppose you notice, there ain't no doors, only the hole." He said. I didn't respond right away. This place was creepier in the light, I kind of wished he'd put the candle out again so I didn't have to see it. "This is an oubliette. The Labyrinths full of them."

I figured I had better seem like I knew what he was talking about; he always seemed to think he knew everything. It was kind of annoying. "Oh, I didn't know that." I said absently. He caught on.

"You don't even know what an oubliette is!" He accused. I ignored his sharp tone.

"Do you?"

"Yes, it's a place where you put people," his voice dropped an octave, and got dangerous, "to forget about them." I stiffened. Did the world want to forget about me? That was harsh. "What you've got to do is get out of here." He said, in a lighter tone. "And it just so happens that I know a short cut out of the whole Labyrinth." At the words "short cut" I thought I was going to save Toby a whole lot sooner. When he finished the phrase, I caught on. Yeah, there was always a catch and I was learning more and more that you seriously couldn't take things for granted.

"No! I'm not giving up now!" I cried standing. "I've come too far." I glanced at the skeleton behind me. I sat back down. "No, I'm doing ok."

Hoggle came over to me, and then patted my hand. "Of course you are," he said patronizingly. "But it gets a lot worse from here on in."

"Why are you so concerned about me?"

He flustered. "Well, I uh - Just am, that's all." He stammered, and then tried to make it sound legitimate. "Nice young girl, terrible black oubliette."

All right, Sarah, I coaxed myself. Think through this logically. So you want him to take you to the castle, what does he like? I looked at him and noticed his jewels, and then saw the bracelet Karen had given me. It wasn't that important so it's not like I would actually miss it. "You like jewelry don't you?" I asked him.

He wrinkled his bulbous nose and then made a face. "Why?"

"If you help me solve the Labyrinth, I'll give you this." I slipped the bracelet out for him to take. "You like it?" He reached out for it, but then changed his mind and stopped. "You like it?"

He was still hesitating. "Uh, so-so."

I wished I knew how to get this guy to help me. I needed some sort of guiding light to get out of here, and he at least knew how to get me out of this hole.

"I'll tell you what, you give me the bracelet and I'll show you the way out of the labyrinth." He said. I thought about that for a second.

"You were gonna that do anyway!" I yelled.

He smirked. "Well, that's what would make it a particularly nice gesture."

I remembered when my dad had bought a car. He had to negotiate with the guy. I held up the bracelet. The way he watched the bracelet told me he was interested in it. "Take me as far as you can, then I'll do it on my own." I dangled the bracelet in front of him.

"What is that anyway?"

"Plastic," I said with a shrug.

"Ohh," he said excitedly. "I don't promise nothing, but I'll take you as far as you can, but then you're on your own, right?" he asked reaching for the bracelet.

I relinquished it to him. "Right,"

He put the bracelet on his wrist. "Plastic," he mumbled in marvel. He waddled over to a bench, and lifted it up to lean in against the wall. I was surprised when I saw two doorknobs on the underside of the bench. He opened one door and I was about to go in behind him when a bunch of brooms fell out. He cursed. "Can't be right all the time can we?" He opened the door the other way. While he was checking to make sure no brooms would fly out at him; I contemplated what was going on. I had wanted to a guiding light, and while he was no pillar of fire—more like a half-dead firefly in a pitch black forest—he was light none the less. He opened the door. "Come on, then" and in the Labyrinth you couldn't take anything for granted.

Ok, so yeah, don't get used to this, I didn't have internet for a while so I had a chance to write a bunch of these before posting them. Anyway, please, feel free to critique, if you like something tell me why, so I can know how to improve. Btw, everyone, I have a poll deciding which of the themes I should do next, I have a few more, but what are the next one, so please, vote, and review.


	4. breaking the rules Theme 50

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 50: Breaking the Rules (November 19, 2010)-dedicated to Michelle

Because most of this is exercise to help me with my actual story, in the way that I meat out characters and story line, they don't involve strictly Labyrinth characters. This is one of those stories, now because it's the "Labyrinth" challenge; of course, there will be some characters.

She'd always wondered what was so great about humans. How were they or rather, that one so able to draw him to them? She was a young girl, and Ivory had to admit, pretty enough, but there was nothing remarkable or remotely extraordinary about her. She'd gone with Jareth a few times to the AboveWorld while he watched the young girl. Since her leader mostly stayed in his owl form, it left Ivory to wander around the place. She was always close by, but mostly had to stay out of sight. She'd watched the humans carefully. They looked similar to the Undergrounders. She could see her own origins in some of them. She'd decided as a whole the race wasn't that great, and that he was much better choosing someone from his own kind.

In the past year, she'd grown weary of watching the children. They were all the same, petty and selfish. It was worse at night. Some nights, Jareth would spend hours on end watching that girl sleep, maybe he was weaving her dreams or something, but it was nothing that Ivory could take part in. She'd let herself wander around some nights, until she happened upon a very active area of the city. The neon lights are what attracted her at first. She hadn't seen anything like in the area Jareth seemed to stay too. She heard loud music and revelry coming from a particularly bright place. The words "The Blue Flamingo" were flashing in a particularly bright blue, and it had a blue leggy bird standing in a martini glass. She made a face as two people came out of the place. The woman was wearing a dress that came down to her thighs and a light jacket, and a pair of silver high-heeled shoes. She was laughing, and obviously tipsy. The man was helping her to their carriage, and once she was in, she started kissing him feverishly. Ivory heard Jareth calling her and went back to her original location.

A small plan devised itself in Ivory's mind. If her king could find a lover among the humans why couldn't she? They were closer to her blood anyway. She marked where she was in her mind and planned to return there on another night. She knew her clothes would never allow her to blend in very well here, so she would need something more appropriate for this place. She had a never-ending account with the royal tailor. She would draw up a dress for him to make. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could distinctly recall some boots that were to her thigh and high heeled. That was the last time the royal cobbler was allowed to touch her footwear.

Weeks passed nothing changed in their routine, sometimes, Jareth wouldn't go visit his "love" at night. Others he'd stay in and call for Ivory, and spend hours telling her about his Sarah. Lately though, he'd been bogged down with his more kingly duties and was inclined to stay home. Tonight was one of those nights when he'd locked himself away all day in his study and review treaties and pardons. She knew he would be busy and never called for her on these nights. She always had one or two crystals on her and decided to charm her mirror to be the portal, just so it would be continually open and wouldn't require her thinking of how to use a crystal.

The dress she'd had the tailor make was a short dress came to the middle of her thigh. She'd ignored the strange look she gave her when Ivory had requested it. She didn't explain. She didn't need to explain. It was off her shoulders and had large triangles that lay on their sides so the points touched and the bottoms met the seams and went to the waist of the dress. They alternated between cutouts showing her white skin and black triangles. The pattern continued all the way down the long sleeves of the dress. She regretted the boots almost. She'd forgotten how high they were. Originally, when she'd ordered them she'd asked for heeled boots so her feet wouldn't slip out of the stirrups of her saddle. The royal cobbler was used to making the high-heeled shoes for the fea women and gave the boots a four-inch heel. They were horrible for riding, so Ivory had no use for them, until now. She was almost glad hadn't thrown them out.

She sighed as she slipped her foot into them. She pulled the leg of the boot up and secured it around her thigh. She checked herself in the mirror. She had left her curly hair down and it stopped at the small of her back. _I'm going to have to cut it soon. It's getting to long._ She thought. She tried to seem poised, and give herself a battlefield mindset, but it made her scowl. Ivory sighed and tried to relax her face. She touched the mirror and the glass quivered to reveal the inside of the Blue Flamingo. She stepped through and turned around to make sure she remembered the spot where she'd left the glass. Carefully, she sauntered through the room, trying not to seem awkward. The strobe lights mildly disorientated Ivory, but she quickly overcame it. (Actually, she tucked it away for a form of training.) She walked the perimeter of the room, watching couples dance wildly. She wrinkled her nose and decided to take a seat.

She climbed into a barstool and leaned back slightly. The door opened and she actually recognized the woman who walked in. It was that supposedly dreadful stepmother the king's human always went on about. Her husband followed behind her. She was talking excitedly and moving across the room towards her. Ivory smirked. _What are the chances?_

Jareth sat up, suddenly, and realized that he was asleep at his desk. He was fairly exhausted from pouring over the treaty with the trolls. He'd been reviewing every clause for days now. He stretched and looked at the clock on the wall. It was later than he thought. He wondered for a moment how long he'd been sleeping, and then decided he would need someone to keep him up. He reached behind him and pulled a rope that rang the servants' bell. He started reading over his notes on the side of the paper trying to decipher what he'd written, while falling asleep. A few minutes a little dwarf came in the room.

"Yes, yer majesty," the dwarf said.

Jareth vaguely recognized him as the dwarf that was always puttering around the gardens. What was his name? Hobble, no. Hooel, no. Hickle-yes, "Hickle go get me General Ivory." He commanded. The little dwarf bristled and raised his bushy white eyebrows.

"It's Hoggle, your majesty." He corrected. Jareth looked up at him from his paper. Hoggle forgot completely that the king got his name wrong. "I'll go and get her, sire." He said quickly and ran out of the room. He slowed once he was in the half and leisurely walked to the General's room. How dare the king get his name wrong; he'd only been serving him since the king was a young prince. He was going to punish him by making the wait, and everyone knew King Jareth was not a patient man.

Ivory had sat there and warded off a few advances from men wanting to pay her for some type of favor. She engaged in conversation with a man, who would have been the equivalent of her human age. He was obviously trying to intoxicate her. He kept buying her drinks, each stronger than the last. She kept drinking them, not really feeling the effects of them, since fea liquors could kill a human. She sighed and listened to him talk. He was a computer engineer, had three sisters, and his mother was in New York, she wasn't doing well, but he was sending her money. He never really asked her anything, mostly just prattled. She had decided not too far into the night that she was not going to find someone here. Most of the men, were single minded, though there was young man sitting across the room that kept looking at her. She wished he would come and talk to her and get rid of the dolt. He kept throwing glances at her. Suddenly the room stilled.

Hoggle finally made it to the General's room. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He figured she was sleeping so he knocked a little bit harder, and still no answer. Hoggle fidgeted; he'd kept the king waiting long enough. He knocked again, but this time he opened the door. "General," he called into the room quietly. There was no response so he fully came into the room and found it completely empty. He saw the mirror and could see it quivering. Hoggle turned on his heel and ran back to the king.

"Yer Majesty! Yer Majesty!" He yelled opening the door. Jareth jumped to his feet.

"What is it Hokkle?" He said.

"OH, it's Hoggle! And the General's not in her room!" He yelled.

Jareth ignored the correct. He was more focused on why his General wasn't in her room. "What do you mean?" He said.

"The room is completely empty, and the mirror was enchanted." He yelled, excited. Jareth narrowed his eyes. He rounded the desk and strode to the room. It was always a possibility that Ivory would return to her homeland. That was strictly forbidden, and would be quiet sad if she did, since he was rather fond of her. Hoggle followed behind him.

When Jareth entered the room, he saw the same thing Hoggle did the enchanted mirror. He passed through the mirror and found himself in a human club. _Of all the low places for her to go._ He knew Ivory wasn't low. He easily spotted her across the room. She looked so different. The short dress high heels and loose hair made him wonder just what her intentions were. Jareth froze the club, so that only she was moving.

Ivory felt everything freeze and even saw a drink stop in mid air. The king was there. She looked towards the mirror and saw him standing there. She stood to her feet and walked to him. She didn't seem ashamed even though she knew she could be put to death for passing through a mirror to another world without the king's orders. She stood in front of him and he moved out of the way so she could pass back through the mirror. Once they were back in the room he removed the enchantment.

"I don't know what your motives for doing this are General, but I won't punish you. I'll just warn you to be careful with what you do." He looked at her. "If you'll please change back into something decent and come to my study, I need to you review the treaties with me." He said.

"Directly, your majesty." She responded, and he left the room. Ivory cast a one last sidelong glance at the mirror and changed back into her military garb.

Yeah this one is about my oc… but again, I'm trying to work on my longer piece and this was a bit of back story for her and Jareth. And it was the only way I could think of doing breaking the rules. Again guys r and r and vote for which one to be done next. Please, please, please?


	5. Test Theme 77

Labyrinth 100 Theme Challenge

Theme 77: Test: (December 1, 2010) -dedicated to Maria

When Jareth received the letter from his mother, he went directly to Ivory. She was in her office, with the other commanding officers. Jareth knew she would be there; she had been ever since she returned from Gileidia. He knocked politely on the door, wishing to speak with her directly, since his mother's admonition sounded urgent. "Enter," he heard her call from the other side of the door. Jareth could hear the murmurings of the other generals as well. Opening the door, he saw the other group standing around a table. The fact that there were only three of them offset Jareth's perception of the room; it suddenly seemed much larger than usual. The gaping hole where no one would stand, because someone usually did stand there, allowed him to see the desk behind the group. It was an eerie sight to see the generals operate the room around a phantom as if the other general was there. He had defected at the open of the war.

"My Liege," Ivory said with a curt nod. The other generals greeted him similarly.

"High General, if I could speak to you for a moment," Jareth said. Ivory nodded and the other generals walked out of the room, still moving around the phantom.

Once they were alone, Jareth handed her the letter. "I want you to retrieve Sarah from my mother, if he is there, I would not want him to be near her, and my aunt has the same problem. Neither of them think they can watch Sarah."

"Even with the armed forces and my precautions?" Ivory asked incredulously. She took the letter and went to her desk to lean against it. She quickly read it a few times, and then looked to Jareth. "I think it's a bit brash and I have a feeling that this is some kind of trap. Jareth, I'd rather not. Sarah should be fine with your mother and my troops. She'll just have to be careful. I wouldn't want to move into some sort of trap they are setting up."

"You may be right, but I have to trust my mother's judgment on this Ivory. You must understand if something happened to Sarah, I'd—I'd well never be able to forgive myself." He told her still standing across from her. She looked up into his mismatched eyes, and blinked her own blue ones a few times. "I would that you do this Ivory." He paused and looked at her intently. Then his demeanor changed, "take some troops, go to Giliedia, get Sarah, and bring her back. She's much safer where I can protect her."

Ivory sighed and bowed her head. _But who's going to protect you in my absence?_ She thought bitterly. She looked back at him and narrowed her eyes to search his face. He was earnest with her. "As you wish my liege." Jareth nodded and left the room.

Two days later, Ivory was on the way back from Gileidia with Sarah. The troops were ready for her upon arrival. She took one day to rest her horse, and they were off again the next day. The only thing that slowed them down was the carriage that Jareth's mother insisted that they take. Ivory wished she hadn't. The former Goblin Queen did not understand that they needed to move quickly, and despite what the queen thought, the carriage did not move quickly through the back roads. Ivory had been hesitant to tell the queen that they were taking back roads. She didn't want anyone to know the way the troop was going. The times were precarious and travel had to be planned down to the second, and this carriage slowed them down so much. It was rather useless since Sarah didn't ride in it. She hoped that if she were on horseback she could make the trip go much more quickly. It did help somewhat. Sarah had even suggested that they send the carriage back. Ivory had entertained the thought for a few seconds, but she didn't want to spare any men. It would take two to drive the carriage back to the queen, and there were only fifteen soldiers with them already.

They had stopped at a stream to water the horses. Ivory had ordered a heavy guard around them. She stayed close to Sarah since it was her main objective to keep the girl safe. She'd never forgive herself if she returned to Jareth with the news that the one woman he loved was dead, even if the love was unrequited. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't recover from it.

The early morning mists clung to the lake that they were standing by. Ivory knelt down next to the water filling her canteen. "Ivory," Sarah said. The black haired guard turned to her. "Why did Jareth send you to come get me?"

"His mother sent a dispatch that it was unsafe for you there." Ivory replied.

"No," Sarah countered. Ivory stopped in mid motion, every muscle in her body rigid. "Jareth sent to us for me to come back, saying he would feel safer if I were there." Sarah explained. Ivory quickly shut the canteen and turned to the lieutenant standing next to her. She opened her mouth give an order when two soldiers came out of the tree line.

"To arms! To ARMS!" They yelled. As if on cue, the sound of guns thundered from the forest. Sarah shrieked at the sound of the gun. Ivory cursed and shouted out, "To arms men!" as well. A few fea men came out of the tree line Ivory tried to do a quick count. She got thirty soldiers, but they had closed in quick and the firearms didn't help the situation at all. Thankfully only a few of men had those.

Sarah stood completely frozen. She watched in horror as troop she'd come to know as friends violently threw themselves into battle. She had pressed herself into a tree trying to stay out of the way. She wasn't a warrior and she didn't even know how to fight. She was glad that Ivory and Lieutenant Dramos never went very far from her. It was scary to see the troops of the opposing forces pushing in around them. The space that they were fighting in seemed smaller and smaller. Until it seemed that the seventeen of them were crowded around the tree. Ivory suddenly turned to Sarah and grabbed her arm. "Quick, to the carriage." She whispered taking Sarah and running, with Dramos close behind.

The battle was closing in far too quickly. Her men were doing a fine job of ducking the bullets, but some were wounded, and now by her count they were down to twelve people thrashing wildly. A tall figure sitting on a horse in the tree line caught Ivory's eye. It was the former General Beliziam, he was grinning holding a rifle to his shoulder and leveling it at the group. The target was clear to Ivory; he was intent on shooting Sarah. With a quick shout that only her men understood, Ivory spun around and grabbed Sarah's hand. She was going to throw the girl into the carriage, since it was the safest place at the moment.

"Quick to the carriage," she whispered. Troops cleared the way, and pushed harder into their opponents, allowing the High General, her ward, and the Lieutenant passage to the carriage. Ivory threw open the door and shoved Sarah in. She and Drams turned around to start defending the carriage. The troops were starting to take the firearms from the others and use them. She looked up to the tree line to see Beliziam galloping towards them. She stayed by the carriage, but knew she had to get him off the horse. It gave him to great of an advantage.

Sarah watched the battle from the carriage. The walls muffled the sounds of guns and cries of the soldiers, but the window in the door gave her a good view of what was going on. She looked out of the window and saw a horse galloping towards the carriage, and more importantly Ivory. He had a gun leveled at the High General and was about to fire, when his horse fell. The beast toppled forward with a shriek throwing the rider one direction and his gun another. Sarah watched in horror as he hacked his way through the soldiers; his own and the opposing force with reckless abandon. He didn't care; he had one mark and that was the High General. Ivory could feel him approaching her. She wished he wouldn't. His target was obvious, and he didn't really care who won. Despite their being long time friends, this was war, and the adage held true. "All's fair", though now the idea that it had come to the point of her or her friend felt entirely unfair. She shook her head and threw herself back into the battle.

Sarah shrieked as a stray bullet pierced the fabric of the carriage. The battle was heating up. She'd seen Dramos run to help another soldier leaving only Ivory to protect her. The High General was currently engaged with the other general. When the second bullet pierced the carriage, Sarah ducked into the floorboards. She held her hands over her head to protect her. She didn't see that Ivory was drawn away from the carriage, and with Dramos still in the throes of battle elsewhere, the carriage was completely unprotected. It was the perfect chance for a soldier, who was already fairly close to the carriage, to land a fatal blow to his opponent and to throw the carriage door open. Sarah looked up in time to see a dirty faced soldier grinning at her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the carriage. Sarah screamed, and tried to get away. As she practically fell out of the steps face first, Sarah tried to throw herself on the ground. It did throw the soldier off balance but he quickly regained it and yanked her up again. She screamed as her shoulder tried to dislocate.

Ivory tried to land another blow, but he blocked it. A feminine shriek in the distance caused her to look away for a moment. She turned to see Sarah struggling with a large burly solider. The momentary distraction allowed Beliziam a moment to land a strike across her leg. Ivory cried out in pain and she drooped for a second. She heard him laugh at her. Finally, Ivory saw the pistol on his thigh. "Come on _High_ General, get up, and fight me." The warring around them ceased, and all eyes turned to the two generals. Ivory looked over her shoulder at Sarah. The guard had finally managed to subdue her, and now held her by her throat with the crook of his arm, and a gun to her head with other hand. "Have you given up Ivory?" the other general taunted. She shook her head. In one fluid motion Ivory stood, her right arm swung as if she were going to take his head off and her left reached forward. Beliziam moved to the side to counter the action, raising his sword to meet hers. Ivory missed his head, and got his arm instead. He let go of his sword and froze completely when he heard the cock of the pistol. He held his hands up.

"On your knees," she commanded. The defeated general dropped down on his knees. "Tell your men to stand down." He nodded his head and all of the soldiers dropped their weapons, a few of Ivory's troops gathered the weapons while the other corralled the men. Dramos ran to Sarah to check her.

Beliziam looked at Ivory. "Are you going to kill me Ivory?" He asked, smirking. "You did say all disinterred and traitors to the goblin throne were to be killed." Ivory didn't falter. "Is this the measure of your resolve?" He asked.

"You can renounce the dissentions, and stand trial before the king." She said.

"No, I won't die on the losing side, Ivory. They will win"

She shook her head. "No, Beliziam, they won't. They sent you to die."

"Then this is the measure of your resolve." He said, his dark green eyes dropped to the ground.

"No, friend, this is the measure of _your _resolve." She said. He nodded and closed his eyes. "Good bye friend," Ivory whispered. There was a loud noise, and the body fell. Ivory stood rigidly and stared at the lifeless form at her feet. "Men, gather together the wounded and make ready for the Goblin Kingdom!" She ordered. Every man busied himself with some type of work. Even Dramos left Sarah to gather the opponents together. Sarah walked forward. She could tell Ivory was tense; her eyes never left the body.

"Hey, are you ok?" She asked. Ivory turned her sharp blue eyes to Sarah, then back to Beliziam. "Hey, we won the battle." She said trying to encourage Ivory.

"No, Sarah, we didn't win anything. We passed a test. They now know the measure of our resolve. I hope they are ready for it." She said. Ivory relaxed her body, strode forward, and stepped over the body as if it weren't there.


	6. Cat Theme 23

Labyrinth 100 Theme Challenge

Theme 23: Cat (December 5, 2010)-dedicated to Olivia

Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth... If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I'm poor, I make no profit from this. If I did, please see prior statements. The characters you don't recognize are mine, and I don't make any profit from them even and I own them. It's just not fair! :)

Enjoy

She was getting off the school bus when she heard the pitiful meow. She looked around, but didn't see anything. She heard the meow again and looked at the bench. Ignoring the rain that was falling, Sarah went over to the bench. "What are you doing?" her friend Alice asked. "Come on Sarah, it's raining and we need to get home."

Sarah just glanced over her shoulder. "Hang on Alice, I hear a cat." She pulled up her hood, craned the umbrella in her neck, and knelt down next to the bench. Sure enough, a bedraggled white cat stared back at her meowing loudly. "Aw, you poor thing." Sarah crooned. She reached out for it and the cat stepped forward. "Come here little kitty," She whispered.

"Come on Sarah, let's go. I'm getting wet." Alice whined. Sarah grabbed the cat by the scruff of his neck. He didn't fight her and nestled quickly in her arms.

"Look what I found Alice!" She cried excitedly. "Isn't he cute?" Alice wrinkled her nose. She wasn't particularly fond of cats and wanted to get out of the rain.

"Yes," Alice snapped impatiently. "Can we go now? I'm sick of getting wet!" Sarah nodded still cradling the cat in her arms, and the girls started up the hill towards the row of immaculate Victorian houses.

"Sarah stood on the porch taking her rain boots, off and discarding her umbrella by the door. She opened the front door, still gently cradling the cat in her arms. Karen was in the living room watching Toby play on the floor. He was four now. Only a year had passed since the incident. He didn't really remember it, but sometimes Sarah would hear him say 'oblins! oblins!" Then she would look around precariously to see any signs of "oblins" but never found any. The older woman looked over her shoulder and saw Sarah.

"Hello Sarah," Karen said.

"Hello Karen." She responded trying to edge her way to her bed room without allowing Karen seeing the cat cuddling in her arms.

"How was your day?" She asked.

"Good." Sarah was almost to the stairs. She didn't see Karen smirking behind her.

"Sarah," the older woman called to her sweetly.

"Yes?"

"What's in your arms?" She asked. Sarah closed her eyes and sighed. She turned around to face her redhead stepmother, showing her the white cat sleeping contentedly in her arms. It opened one blue eye and just looked at Karen languidly.

"It's a cat." Sarah said. "Karen, can I keep him? Please?"

"Sarah—"

"I'll keep him clean, and get him a litter box and everything."

"What about Merlin?" Karen asked, leaning back in the couch.

"I'm sure they'll get along fine, and if not, I'll keep Merlin away from him." Sarah adjusted the cat, so she could hold him out for Karen to see. The cat opened both his eyes, and looked at Karen, pleading as well.

"Yes, Karen let me stay here," those blue eyes seemed to say.

Karen smiled and reached out a hand to pet the cat, which immediately started purring. "All right, but he's your responsibility. You have to take care of him."

"Really?" Sarah said excited. "Oh, thank you Karen!" Sarah gushed. "Thank you so much. I promise I'll keep him clean. I'll call Merlin's vet tomorrow to see how much his shots are and get him a litter box and everything!" Karen gave Sarah little smile and stood up to pat the girl on the back.

"I remember when I was your age Sarah, I wanted a cat, but my dad wouldn't let me, so I figure I'll get to enjoy him just as much as you will." Sarah hugged Karen from the side and ran up stairs with the cat in her arms. She got a towel from the closet and took him in the bathroom; she wet the towel and kind of washed him down. She knew cats didn't like water, so she didn't want to put him in the tub to give him a proper bath. The cat didn't seem to mind the towel as much. Once he was partially clean, Sarah took him to her room. She set him on the floor. Immediately he jumped on the bed.

Sarah laughed at him as he curled up on her bed. She decided it was time to get out of her school uniform and into her house clothes. She glanced at her window noticing that the curtain was open. Moving to the window, she looked out at the tree to see if the stalker owl was still out there. "Good, he's finally gone." She said aloud. Sarah shut the curtains and went to her dresser to get out her pajamas. "You know this sounds retarded, but I used to have this owl stalk me." The cat looked up at her watching her carefully. "I mean it was really creepy, because he wasn't a real owl—I mean he wasn't imaginary, but he wasn't a real owl, he was a king from this place called the Underground. He's way creepy too. I think he has a thing for me, and yeah he's cute and all, but he's like a million years older than me." She said as she finished changing. Glancing at the cat, and noticing his tail was flicking angrily. "Oh well," She sat down on the bed, and started stroking the cat. "He's gone now, so I don't have to worry anymore." Karen called her from downstairs for dinner. The rest of the night was quite.

Sarah got up from the next morning grudgingly. She rolled over and looked at her clock, "Oh, man, its 7:30!" She yelled, throwing the covers off and the cat with it. He wailed pitifully. "Oh, kitty, I'm sorry," she scooped him back up and set him on the bed with a pat. "I have to get ready and go to school, but I'll be back this afternoon." She kissed the cats head and ran down the stairs yelling, "I'm coming Karen!"

Once the cat was assured that Sarah was gone from the room, he jumped off the bed and transformed in mid jump. A tall, lean man took the place of the cat. He had flyaway hair, mismatched eyes. He smirked at the door where the young girl had just been. He laughed to himself and disappeared to attend his kingly duties below.


	7. Blood Theme 17

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 17: Blood (December 23, 2010)-dedicated to ME

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I make no profit from this, if I did, please see prior statement. I'm poor; I don't even make profit from my own characters! It's just not fair!

Anyway, enjoy!

Sarah walked into the throne room. Jareth was sitting in his throne, smirking. "What are you so happy about?" She snapped.

"I'm not happy about anything in particular, Sarah." He replied.

"Then what are you smiling about?"

"I'm not smiling." He gave her a strange look. "Sarah what's the matter?"

"You!" She yelled, storming out of the room. Jareth just stared after her dumbfounded. He'd never seen any woman behave like this. He knew she'd been irritable for the past few days, but this was ridiculous. He wasn't doing anything; he was just sitting in his throne, mostly hiding from the pile of treaties growing on his desk.

As Sarah was leaving, Ivory entered, "Hello, Sarah," she said politely. Sarah just pushed past her brusquely. Ivory was a little bewildered but put it from her mind. She was going to speak with the king about important matters of the masons causing a ruckus. She had to get his sanction before she allowed anything to boil over.

"Jareth," she said directly, holding out some papers. She started to finish her thought, but he cut her off.

"What's wrong with Sarah?"

Taken aback, Ivory just looked at the now empty door way and then back to her sovereign. "I'm not sure, Sire." She replied and moved on her purpose for coming here. "Now, the masons have been—"

"What do you think is wrong with her?"

Ivory tried to hide her annoyance. Sometimes she thought that if Jareth didn't get over his infatuation with this human girl, she was going to strangle him. "I'm quite sure I don't know Jareth, but now to more important matters."

"She's been in such a bad mood lately; I wonder what it could be." He ignored her.

Ivory rolled her eyes. She tried again to direct him to the papers in her hand. They were more important than any temperamental, mostly just mental, girl anyway. "I'm sorry you've been wondering." She mocked with false pity. "Either way, I have some papers I need you to—"

"I wonder what could cause a girl as gentle as Sarah to be so strange."

Ivory glared at the king. She knew he wouldn't respond to her issue any time soon. "Fine," she huffed, and then in strained politeness continued, "Would you like me to go find out why she is being such a—" a sharp look from the king stopped her from finishing that statement, "why she is so upset."

"Oh would you?" He asked as if she weren't taking not so subtle hints from him.

"Will you listen to me if I tell you?" Ivory gave him a pointed look.

Jareth leaned into his hand. "With rapt attention, High General." He smirked.

"Oh, sometimes Jareth you are such a child. Fine, let me go find her."

Ivory went out of the throne room and down the long corridor in search of Sarah, grumbling to herself. She had more important things to worry about than Sarah's moodiness. Sarah was a fully-grown woman, she should be able to take care of herself and not have hormonal outbursts. When Ivory was as young as Sarah, she was completely schooled in keeping her emotions in check. Finally, she found Sarah doubled over in the garden.

Sarah looked up. "Please kill me."

Ivory wrinkled her brow. "What's the matter?"

Sarah laid her head in her hands. "I'm cramping." She groaned. "I think my uterus is trying to kill me!"

"Your uterus?"

"Yes, it's that time of the month." Sarah groaned again. Ivory gave her a pitying look. She reached into her thigh pouch and pulled out a small little flask.

"Here, drink this, it will relieve any pain you're having." Sarah looked at her questioningly; she was hesitant to take anything from the high general. Another wave of cramps crashed over her and Sarah snatched the bottle, not giving any thought to its contents began to down it. "Slow down Sarah, only a little bit!" Ivory chided. "To much and you won't feel anything for a week." Sarah grudgingly took the bottle from her mouth. The drink had a sweet taste to it, and as it hit her stomach, the ache in abdomen stopped.

"Thank you," She said handing the bottle back to Ivory. Ivory nodded and put the bottle back in her pouch. "Man, I've been cramping so bad."

"Why?" Ivory asked. She'd had cramps in her stomach once, but that was a long time ago. She'd eaten a bad fish.

"It's my cycle." Sarah replied.

"What cycle?"

"You mean you don't know what 'the cycle' is?"

Ivory just looked at the brunette blankly. "No, the only cycle I know is the moon cycle. Maybe the water cycles, but I don't have one."

Sarah furrowed her face in confusion. "You don't bleed?" She asked incredulously.

"Not unless I'm hurt, no." Ivory replied. She really didn't see what Sarah was getting at. Why should she bleed?

"I mean—" Sarah paused and looked down. "You know _bleed_, down there." Ivory mulled over the statement for a little while. Did she bleed? What did that mean? Then it dawned on her what Sarah was talking about—_that_ kind of bleeding.

"Oh, you mean the centurial," Sarah looked at her blankly. "That thing that happens every one hundred years."

"You're kidding me, every one hundred years!" Sarah yelled, clearly upset.

"Yes, does it not work that way for you?"

"No! Mine is every stinking month!"

Ivory wrinkled her nose. "Disgusting, maybe it's because your lifespan is shorter, I only get one every one hundred years."

"Suddenly, I hate you." Sarah grumbled.

"It's not me you should hate. Fea never get them, ever, and it's ungodly when I do. I'm a holy terror, almost as bad a pregnant Chaldean and they are the devil incarnate."

"I don't know about that, but I'm so moody, and everything irritates me." Sarah replied.

"I know what you mean." Ivory sat down next to Sarah. "The last one I had, I actually had to go away for a while because Jareth was so bad on my nerves I thought I was going to throttle him. He can be very frustrating."

"Tell me about it! I think we should call him 'your glitteriness' instead of your highness. You know when came to take Toby, I got in so much trouble for all that glitter that was on the floor and all over the room. I had to clean it myself! I didn't do it to begin with."

"Look, when you go to a war game with sparkles in your hair, no one takes you seriously. I almost won because everyone was laughing so hard at the glitter in my hair." Ivory retorted. The girls sat there, swapping stories about Jareth, and their cycles. They talked for an hour when the Goblin King, curious as to where his High General had got to. He found her sitting talking with Sarah and had to do a double take, the most unsociable person talking with Sarah, her least favorite person.

"High General, I've been looking for you." He said loudly. Ivory turned to him and then back to Sarah.

"See what I mean, completely hopeless without me." She whispered. Sarah nodded and stood. She strutted past Jareth with her nose turned up.

"Your Glitteriness," she said condescendingly as she exited the clearing. Ivory was following her and laughing at the Goblin Kings confused face.

"Your _Glitteriness?_" he asked Ivory as she approached. The High General shrugged and looked at him. "What is wrong with her?"

"Sire, you're happier not knowing." Ivory replied. She then held out a paper. "I need you to sign this."

Jareth took the paper slightly confused. He would never understand the way females of any race work. He'd tried to with all three and to no avail. Though he'd found humans to be slightly more bipolar than the rest, but then again every once in a while, Ivory would suddenly try to kill him for no apparent reason. He mulled over what Sarah had called him as he scribbled his signature down on the form. "Your _Glitteriness?"_ He asked again.

Like I said, a lot of things today. I had a bunch of these done before hand as you can see by the dates on the stories. So this one is a little-random to say the very least. I wanted to take the blood theme in a different direction than most people think of. Since, I'm assuming that a good bit of my readers are women, you can sympathize with the characters. My guy friend Alex, who read over it for errors (because he's awesome!) said he sympathized with Jareth. Again read, review, and vote.

Jareth: *pant, pant* please tell your boyfriend that I'm not in love with you.

Baby Turtle: Aw, poor Goblin king, did all that running cut the oxygen flow to your brain and make you forget? You do love me.

Supremely Awesome Boyfriend: Baby where's the .22?

Baby Turtle: Uh oh goblin king, I think you should run he's going to shoot you.


	8. creation Theme

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 47: Creation (December 11, 2010)-dedicated to Kate

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I make no profit from this, if I did, please see prior statement. I'm poor; I don't even make profit from my own characters! It's just not fair!

Anyway, enjoy!

Jareth leaned out his window and watched the girl as she ran down the hill to the front gates. He looked down more directly at the Labyrinth itself. He watched corridors switch destinations, complete paths become dead ends, and oubliettes disappear and appear at random. The Labyrinth was an ever-changing beast; it had been since its creation. Well, at least he assumed it had, no one was there at the creation of the Labyrinth. It was as old as the Underground, no one questioned that, but no one was sure just how old that truly was. It was meant to be a test to those who had to run it. In his years as a sovereign and even before, he'd realized that the Labyrinth tested people based on what they needed to make them stronger. It usually started with a wish to take something away, some nuisance. In the case of the chocolate haired girl making her way down the outer hall, it was a request to get that person back. In the case of the chocolate haird girl, now making her way down the outer wall, the request was to get the person back.

In the case of the chocolate haird girl, now making her way down the outer wall, the request was to get the person backIn the case of the chocolate haird girl, now making her way down the outer wall, the request was to get the person backIt was the first challenge, a specific creation of their own; he'd offered her dreams to her. She had to overcome her selfishness first.

He smirked as she got past the outer wall. He could hear the key phrase ringing in her ears, "You can't take anything for granted." A creation of the Labyrinth itself, the illusion walls had caused so many to fall. He'd always thought the Labyrinth was like the human mind, so many hidden things, and pit falls, ever changing, only seemingly constant to the denizens. However, over years the Labyrinth had added things pulled from the minds of its runner. Things like the Bog of Eternal Stench hadn't been there. He remembered that one well. It was a princess, a French princess if he recalled completely correctly. She hated being dirty and had wished her youngest sister away. It was a test of her own mind, how far was she really willing to go to get her sister. Would she overcome her fears and dislikes?

Another thing the Labyrinth had added was the riddle. Jareth conjured a crystal to see what type of riddle she was going to solve. The riddle was something that the runner was familiar with, but never could figure out. Hers was logic. He smirked. Over the past two years he'd been watching her very carefully, ever since his book had fallen into her hands, more carefully than he'd ever watched any other runner. He'd seen all the tears that spilled over her face, she still cried when she thought about her mother leaving. Why would her mother leave? She just didn't understand; there wasn't any logic to it. Why would her mother leave her so alone? She had to learn to deal with difficult and insensible things.

It altered the entire style of the Labyrinth where the runners were allowed, and even on occasion, the palace. He groaned as an egg hit him in the back of the head. Why she had decided that he would allow goblins in his palace was beyond him. The goblins cackled behind him. Jareth flexed his jaw tightly, trying to reign in his temper. He glanced back at the crystal and noticed that she was in the oubliette. The dwarf would be there soon. He went back to his throne and took Toby from among the goblins. He couldn't wait to win Sarah, and the boy. To gain a queen and a possible heir all in one game was more than he could ask for. He glanced back at the window and smiled. The Labyrinth would test Sarah until she thought she would break, and then stretch her further. She would have to overcome whatever weakness the Labyrinth saw fit to collect from her mind. It would prepare her for being a fine queen.

Fin

Neway, so yeah, you guys are getting a lot of uploads. Feel blessed because I'm sure I'll go off the grid sooner or later, probably sooner. This was another hard one and I'm not particularly fond of it. It's kind of awkward. I try to make Jareth seem like he's in love with her, but it's hard. BECAUSE HE'S IN LOVE WITH ME!

Jareth: What, no I'm not!

Supremely Awesome Boyfriend: Son, you had better run.

Baby Turtle: oopsie, oh well, at least he didn't get the gun. Anyway, lovely reader people, read review and vote for the next challenge I should do. Also, Notwritten, thanks for being a faithful reviewer!

TTFN


	9. Magic Theme 62

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 62: Magic (December 29, 2010)-dedicated to Maggie

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I make no profit from this, if I did, please see prior statement. I'm poor, I don't even make profit from my own characters! It's just not fair!

Anyway, enjoy!

She'd grown up, and put the thoughts of magical people out of her mind. She focused on the real world, work, family, and school. Important things like that. Those things didn't do her any good. She thought, as she sat on the living room floor. What else could she do? Everything she'd thought was _important_ was gone, her family, her job, and now finally her boyfriend. He'd walked out on her tonight and left her standing in the middle of the bedroom. Sarah wasn't sure what else to do. Everything had been wonderful before she had left her magical childhood behind, and now she wondered if there was a way to get it back. Sarah had waited to stop crying before she went to her desk that held her unfinished works of art and stories. In the back of the top left drawer, there was a red leather bound book, a remnant of that magical childhood that she could never let go of; Sarah grabbed the book and flipped it open to the first page. As she skimmed the familiar lines, she wondered if there was any magic left in the book. More importantly, if she called out to the Goblin King would he come? Could he come? Hadn't she banished him for all time? Isn't that the way that it worked? But she had to try. Sarah sighed.

"Well, if he doesn't come to me, then I'm no worse off than I am now." Sarah said aloud trying to take comfort in her voice. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. "I look like something the cat dragged in." She looked at her puffy red eyes, and smeared make up. "I'm not going to meet the goblin looking like this." Sarah yelled. She ran to the bathroom and fixed herself up. She wasn't sure why. He wasn't going to come anyway. So then, she wandered into the living room and sat down in the middle of the floor. She thought long and hard about what to say. She wasn't going to wish herself away; maybe she could wish some random object away. Well, she saved that for last, if nothing else seemed to work. "I wish the Goblin King would come to me, right now." Sarah yelled aloud. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited, but nothing happened. Sarah cracked one eye open and glanced around the empty room. Dejected she opened her eyes and sighed heavily. Why would he come anyway? Standing up, Sarah turned to walk back into the bedroom. She was still looking at the book in her hands.

"Hello again, Sarah," a masculine English voice drawled. With a slight shriek, Sarah looked up, and without thinking threw a punch at the intruder. Her fist connected with his jaw, very nicely. Then she realized what was going on, and screamed again. Jareth stood there, his hair hadn't changed, still that feral flyaway lions mane she remembered, and still that an air of magic swirling around him, along with all the glitter. She had to stifle a giggle, at the glitter that surrounded him as her hysteria gave way to excitement. He even had a magical smell to him that was the only way she could think to describe the smell. It was like ginger, earth, cinnamon, and something else. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but it had to be magical. It was an engram, burned deep in her mind.

"I feel sorry for your guests, Sarah, if you greet them all that way." He said flexing his jaw.

"Oh my gosh, it's you! You're here! I can't believe it." She cried, throwing her arms around Jareth. He stiffened slightly and looked at her pointedly. Finally, she let him go. "I mean I didn't think you would come. I didn't see any reason to come. I know I wished—"

"Really, Sarah, still wishing people away? Isn't that beyond you? I thought you'd become so much more mature." He taunted her smugly. Suddenly, her bubble burst and she put her hands on her hips.

Glaring, she said, "I didn't wish anyone away. You shouldn't be so quick to judge."

Jareth ignored her tone and just looked at his fingers coolly. "I'm never judgmental, my dear, merely acceptant of the fact that sooner or later history repeats itself." He smirked at her. She was dumbfounded. How could he just show up, when she was in dire need and act as if he were the king?

"You stuck up goblin git!" She yelled furiously. "I didn't wish anyone away! I was actually calling out to you for help; so don't be so mighty." Jareth raised an eyebrow and regarded her quietly for a second.

"Why ever you would call out to me for help? I thought I had no power over you." He said the last part of the sentence venomously. Not even bothering to hide is distain for the phrase. Sarah just looked up at him, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to come of her eyes again. She wasn't really sure why she was crying.

"Doesn't mean you're powerless to help me if I need it." She retorted, looking down. She could feel the first teardrops leak out of her eyes and down her cheek. Jareth softened when he saw the glistening little drops. "I didn't call out to you for the fun of it Jareth. I hate my life here and I want to leave. There's nothing for me, nothing. I hate it here, I'm ready to leave it behind and I thought—" Sarah was openly crying now.

"You thought that going to the Underground would solve your problems."

"Yes." She admitted quietly. "My life was better when I believed in magic." Jareth pondered for a moment. He looked at Sarah, now ten years older. She'd grown up and left the roundness of a young girl, and replaced it with a womanly figure. She'd cut her hair to her chin, he noticed.

"But, what about your family? Won't they miss you?" He asked.

"No, they can't." She replied. "Karen, my dad and even Toby, they died in a car accident coming home from my grandparents' house for holiday." She replied, still crying, but now for a different reason. "It was a year ago."

Jareth gave her a compassionate look. "My condolences," he offered. Sarah nodded her thanks. "So there's no one here to remember you? Not even your mother."

"No, she forgot about me a long time ago." Sarah wiped her face. Jareth handed her a handkerchief, which she took gratefully. "Look, I know it's no fairy tale. You're the mean horrible villain," Jareth looked affronted, "and I'm no fairy tale princess, but—"

Jareth offered her a hand and smiled, "Maybe the Labyrinth will make a little magic and we can make it work." He finished. Sarah smiled at him and took his hand. There was a flash and a spray of glitter and the apartment was empty.

Yes, I'm cranking these things out. I like them they are fun. You will read and you will like them! Lol Just kidding. Anyway, I really liked this one and maybe one day it will make a great story, but not today ZURG! Sorry neway, read, review (I mean it people, review. I don't care if you wanna flame the day lights out of me, go right ahead. I prefer constructive criticism, but you can flame if you really want to. Honestly, point out poor structure and grammar errors. It doesn't hurt me it helps.) and please vote.. right now I have one vote… its in my profile. I wanna have a little bit more competition.


	10. Hold my Hand theme 35

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 35: Hold My Hand (January 6, 2011)-dedicated to Chelsea

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I make no profit from this, if I did, please see prior statement. I'm poor, I don't even make profit from my own characters! It's just not fair!

Anyway, enjoy!

Ivory heard the rustling outside her tent. Instinctively, her long white fingers inched towards the dagger she kept on the side of her cot. The cot flap opened and she heard feet shuffle across the floor. She tried to size the person while pretending to be asleep. The person was small and loud. She felt him approach her bedside and gripped the dagger firmly in her hand. Her eyes were lightly shut, and her muscles poised to strike like a cobra. She felt a little finger poker in the arm, and a small voice whisper, "Lord General, are you awake?"

Ivory sat up and looked at the young boy standing next to her cot, hugging a small teddy bear in a death grip. "Toby," she exclaimed. She flicked her wrist at a lantern, and it immediately burst into flames. "What are you doing here?" He looked up at her with large blue eyes.

"I can't sleep." He murmured into the teddy bears head. Ivory looked at him pointedly and sighed.

"So you come to me?" She asked rhetorically, "How did you even get here?" She asked swinging her legs on the side of her bed.

"I took a horse."

"Child, your sister is going to be upset in the morning when she finds you gone." Toby looked at the ground, then back up at Ivory.

"I'm sorry." He snuffled. "But can I sleep with you?" His eyes shone with hope.

Ivory sighed. "Why on earth would you want to sleep here, Toby? Your sister, Jareth and hundreds of others are in the palace whom are far more suitable, and why can't you sleep in your own bed child. I'm sure it's more comfortable than my old cot."

"I keep thinking about my parents. And when I'm sad about them, Sarah cries. I don't want Sarah to cry." Toby's voice broke a little as he tried to choke back tears. He pushed his nose into the soft fuzz of the old teddy bear he still clutched in his arms.

"Very noble of you, Toby." She watched him for a few seconds longer, and then sighed. She flipped the covers off, stood, and went over to some crates. "Listen Toby, just for one night and you go back to the palace first thing in the morning." She grabbed an extra pillow and blanket. His eyes lit up as he clambered into the cot. She offered him the pillow and blanket and he took it gratefully. Ivory climbed back in bed next to him. With another flick of her wrist the light went out and left them in darkness, only the lights of the outside flicked in the room. Ivory closed her eyes only monetarily before she heard choked sobs beside her.

"Toby, are you crying?" She asked sitting up so she could look at him. The little boy turned his face harder into his pillow.

"No, Lord General I'm not." He said between sniffles. Ivory sat up completely and took the little boy in her arms. He turned into her and still tried to hide his tears.

"You can call me Ivory, Toby. Listen, it's all right to cry about your family." She said gently into his strawberry blonde curls.

"But boys don't cry." He countered. "We're supposed to be tough. That's what my dad—" he sobbed again. "My dad said."

"Toby, it's all right to cry about your family." He looked up at her.

"Really?" He asked. "Have you ever cried about someone your family?" He buried his face back in her chest.

Ivory closed her eyes and whispered softly, "yes". She looked down at him as she recalled the pain of permanent separation from her family. "When I came to the Labyrinth, Toby, I was completely alone. I could never be with my family ever again. I cried." Toby looked at up her for confirmation, but Ivory missed it. She had her eyes closed again as she remembered the pain she felt. "I cried for a long time Toby. There was no one there. No one could hold me. I know they are out there somewhere, living, but I can never go to them again." Ivory felt a tear drop fall out of her eye and trace down her cheek. There was a brief silence. She could feel him falling asleep, some sobs left on his breath. She stroked his hair softly until she was sure he was asleep. She laid them both down and Toby roused slightly.

"Ivory, why do people have to go away?" he asked her, still half asleep. She shook her head, and then realized he wasn't looking.

"I don't know Toby. So we can learn to be strong and rely on those around us for help."

"Ivory,"

"Yes, Toby"

"Can we be strong and rely on each other?" He said as sleep overcame him. Ivory, however, opened her eyes completely and looked down at him. He was finally asleep so peacefully. Ivory stroked his hair.

"Yes, Toby, of course. I'll be strong, and you can rely on me." She whispered. Her eyes closed again. Finally, there was a new directive in her life again.

Yes, another one. And everyone is going All right baby turtle stop it now. And I respond… but guys there's 90 more to go! And since only one person voted… congratulations to you lucky voter because the next challenge is dedicated to you.

Come on Guys, and as our favorite bird hat would say. "Please leave a contribution in the little box!" lol Read and Review… I don't care if you flame…


	11. Drive Theme 9

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 9: Drive ()-dedicated to my own voter

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. If I did I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I make no profit from this; if I did, please see prior statement. I'm poor, I don't even make profit from my own characters! It's just not fair!

Anyway, enjoy!

The DMV had to be the scariest place for a teenager. It determined social fate for the rest of your high school life. Sarah's parents had dropped her off and she was supposed to call them when she was done. Toby was sick so Karen was home with him, and her dad had to work. She'd made the appointment thinking Karen could take her since it was summer and everyone was free, but things weren't going as planned. Now, Sarah sat alone in the waiting room, listening for her number. She fidgeted in her chair a little as she skimmed over everyone else. Most people were staring off into space, some people were talking, watching tv, and even one guy was asleep. "I wish I had someone to talk to." She murmured. Sarah hunched over, leaning her chin in her hand.

"Well, precious thing, what are we doing today?" A very familiar voice said. Sarah jumped up and screamed. Everyone turned around and stared at her strangely. She gave them a sheepish look as she fumbled for a weak excuse.

"Uh there was a—um, spider. Sorry." She said as she sat back down. She glanced at Jareth and squeezed herself into the far corner of her chair. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"You called."

"I did not." She retorted in a low voice. "Get out of here. Don't make me say the words."

Jareth threw his head back and laughed. "Really, Sarah, saying the words is what did this to you in the first place."

"What?" She knitted her brow even tighter and looked at the woman sitting not too far from her. She was giving Sarah a strange look.

"When you said 'the words' it caused you to have completely control over me."

"Then go away." She declared vehemently.

Jareth gave her a mock concerned look. "Oh, but my precious thing, it doesn't work that way." He patted her head. "These things have a proper order." Sarah rolled her eyes. Then she noticed people were still giving her strange looks. "Oh just so you know, precious thing, no one else can see me but you." Sarah palmed her face and grimaced.

"Of course Goblin King." She glared at him and then got her phone out.

"What are you doing?" He asked her scooting closer to her so he could look at the object in her hands.

"Ignoring you." She retorted sharply. He just smiled and loomed over her shoulder as she played the game on her cell phone. Every once in a while, she would glance over at him and he would be there smirking at her. She would turn her eyes back to her phone.

"So what are we doing here?" He asked finally. He was tired of being ignored. Besides how could anyone ignore him, he was so handsome.

"I'm getting my driver's license." She replied absently. Jareth nodded he wasn't really sure what a 'driver's license' was, but he would play along for effect. He didn't want Sarah to think he was ignorant. Feeling that she wasn't going to speak to him anytime soon, he tossed his hair and leaned back against the wall. He was quiet for a little while just watching the crowd absently. Until he felt a pair of eyes staring at him, he looked to his left and noticed a little girl sitting there staring at him. She was missing a tooth, had a blonde ponytail and was giving him a quizzical look.

"You're weird looking." She declared loudly. Jareth just stared at her. "Really weird." Her mother looked up from her paperwork and suddenly realized that her daughter was half way down the aisle, harassing a young girl. Sarah watched the display with mild amusement as the Goblin King wrinkled his nose at the little girl.

"Katie, sweetie, come here." Her mom called her, and once the little girl was sitting next to her mother. She apologized profusely for her daughter. Sarah shrugged and glanced at the Goblin King who still looked affronted. The mom smiled at Sarah, turned to her daughter and began scolding her lightly.

There was a silent period. "I do not look weird." Jareth said finally. Sarah couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I don't. I will have you know that I am the most fashionable man in all of the Underground, and the most eligible bachelor." He gave her a suggestive smile. Sarah rolled her eyes. He opened his mouth to continue, but the machine voice came of the intercom and called her number. Sarah jumped up and walked away leaving Jareth sitting there. Sarah walked across the room to counter 12. The woman sitting there was about fifty, she had horn rimmed glasses.

"Hello," Sarah said smiling. The woman looked at her. She was tired, that much Sarah could tell. "I'm here for my driving test." The lady nodded and took the proofs of living and citizenship.

"Go over there, to station 7 and take the test. I'll turn it on for you. When you're done, it will tell you pass or fail. If you pass, come back here and I'll get you an instructor." The woman said. She pointed to a few stations of computers where other teenagers were taking the test. Sarah nodded, took her things and went to the computer. She signed in, put the head phones on and started her test. Jareth appeared next to her.

"What are you doing?" He asked lounging in the chair next to her on the computer.

"Taking a test, go away." She grumbled.

"What is this thing?" He asked picking up the mouse from the computer next to her.

"A mouse"

"It doesn't have ears, or a heart beat for that matter."

"It's a computer mouse. Now shut up, I'm trying to take a test." Sarah demanded trying to wrack her brain for answers. "Man I wish—" She glanced at Jareth who was waiting intently for her to finish her sentence. She glared at him. "I should have studied more." She corrected herself. He smirked.

"You're a slow learner on some things, precious." He chuckled.

"So are you. 'Go away' only has so many meanings."

"Again my pet these things take time. I can't just 'go away'." He replied. Sarah rolled her green eyes at him and went back her test. Jareth watched her for a moment before noticing the little girl from earlier. She was walking with her mom giving Jareth weird looks with her nose scrunched up. He stuck his tongue out at her and she did the same thing. Jareth conjured a crystal and threw it at the little girl's feet. It shattered and a hundred worms appeared. She shrieked and ran to her mother. Sarah glanced over her shoulder to see what was going on.

"You didn't have to do that." She scolded him.

"She's worse than a goblin."

"No she's not." Sarah replied, standing from her computer chair. She walked back to the woman she'd spoken with earlier. "All right, I'm done." Sarah sat down in her seat. "I passed and everything."

The woman nodded at her. She pulled Sarah's score up on her computer and then nodded to the little eye test next to her. "Tell me the signs." Sarah prattled off the signs to the woman. Somewhere in the distance she heard a little girl yell.

"Go away you mean ugly old man!" and the sudden hushing of her mother. _Poor woman. _Sarah thought. _Jareth's tormenting her. Oh well, at least it's not me. _

Sarah ignored the goings on and focused on the DMV worker. "Sign your name on this card." The lady said sliding a small piece of paper towards her. Quickly, she scribbled her name down and slid the paper back. "All right, thank you, now go sit over there and someone will call you for your driving test."

"Yes, ma'am." Sarah said wandering over to the row of chairs. She sat in the back and suddenly Jareth appeared next to her.

"That child is a menace to society." He grumbled.

"Goblin King, she's six." She retorted sharply. Sarah ignored the glare he gave her.

"Sarah Williams?" A gentleman called across the room. He was short, older, wore thick glasses and was balding. Sarah sighed and heaved out of the chair. She cast a glance at Jareth. He was smirking at her. He looked like the cat that caught the canary. Sarah wrinkled her nose and walked up to the driving instructor. He looked at his clipboard, and then looked back up at Sarah. He pushed his glasses up his nose. "Miss Williams?"

"Yes," she put her hand out for him to shake. He looked at her hand and pushed his glasses back up his nose again. He raised an eyebrow, and walked away. Sarah scrunched her nose and followed him out. He was waiting for her to come out, scribbling things on his note pad. "All right so this is my car. I paid mostly for it, my parents had to help me some, but—" She declared loudly. He nodded, nonplussed at Sarah's old beat up Honda. She was very proud of it and still paying her parents back for the loan that they gave her, but gave him a sheepish look.

"All right, get in the car." He said. Sarah nodded got in the car. "Turn the car on," Once the car was on he gave her the next command. "Left blinker; ok right blinker; ok good shut her off." He came around the car and got in. "All right, Miss Williams, before we start the car, let's go over the basics. Emergency lights, gas gauge, and then brakes." Sarah pointed to all the things he listed off. "Ok good, now start her up and then back out." Sarah started the car, and she turned around to look behind her. Suddenly, the Goblin King appeared in her back seat, and glitter sprayed everywhere. Sarah gave a little shriek. She turned her face and the instructor gave her a strange look. He didn't seem to notice the glitter covering his sleeve.

"Is everything ok?" He asked looking over his glasses. Sarah glowered at Jareth who just lounged regally in her back seat. He gave her a rakish smirk and laughed.

"Yeah, everything is fine." She replied. "_You are dead_!" She mouthed to him. He laughed jovially. Sarah backed out and pulled into the parking lot. Sarah sighed and pulled forward. There was a stop sign at the intersection that led out to the road from the DMV. Sarah pulled to the stop sign and came to a complete stop. A few cars came by so Sarah waited. She nervously fidgeted with her hair and slid it out from behind her back, leaving her neck exposed. She was really hoping that she passed. She couldn't go back to school and face everyone if she didn't. Suddenly, Sarah felt fingers brush gently against the back of her neck. Sarah yelled; her hand went automatically to the back of her neck, and her foot let off the brake a little and the car rolled slightly. Sarah stomped her foot on the brake abruptly to stop the car from moving any further. She gave an abashed glance to her instructor. He just readjusted his glasses and marked a few things down. "Sorry," she said. "I thought I felt something touch my neck." She scowled at Jareth in the rear view mirror.

"Ok, turn left, and then go out to the main street and make a right turn." Sarah nodded. She pulled out went to the corner and made a right turn. She was sure to use her blinkers, and pull into the nearest lane. "Ok good, now pull into the furthest lane, and then go up to the light we're going to make a U-Turn there." Sarah nodded and did as she was told. Again, she put her blinkers on and shifted smoothly into the lanes checking over her shoulders. Sarah was starting to feel confident again and relaxed as they drove along. Jareth was babbling in the background, but she was doing her best to ignore him. It abruptly began raining. Sarah knitted her brow slightly.The day had been completely clear only moments before, so Sarah acted accordingly, and put on her windshield wipers.

"Is there a problem, Miss Williams?" The instructor asked.

"No, why?"

"Then why did you put on the windshield wipers."

Sarah was confused. She should have not put the wipers on? It was raining. Sarah glanced up into the review mirror and noticed that Jareth was snickering quietly to himself in the back seat. She cast a look at the other cars going by and no one else had their windshield wipers on. Sighing, she tapped the switch and turned the windshield wipers off. The driving test was nearly over. Sarah made her final U-turn and then did a three point turn in the street behind the DMV. When the test was over, the instructor looked at her and sighed.

"Well, Miss Williams," he began in a bleak tone. Sarah sighed as she felt that he was going to say "no". "You've passed your driver's test, but in the future, just remember to relax and be careful when you're driving." He smiled and got out of the car. "So you can call your parents and tell them." He said leaning down into the car.

"Yeah, thank you." Sarah responded gleefully getting her cell phone out. Once he shut the door, Jareth appeared in the front seat.

"Alone at last, my precious." He said leaning towards her. She gave him a dirty look and then punched him in the arm.

"Jareth, you jerk. You had better be glad I passed. If I had failed I would have come after you."  
He looked wounded. "Precious, I'm hurt. You see you should come with me to the Underground. You wouldn't have to worry about trivial matters such as this."

Sarah punched him again. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" She yelled. "Now, go away!" The Goblin King pursed his lips indignantly, and faded out, but not before covering Sarah's car in an unsavory amount of glitter. Sarah growled lowly; she had a feeling that this would not be the last time she would clean up glitter in her life.

FIN

Yes, I'm not going to stop and this is for my one voter on my challenge… so voter person feel cherished. Lol You selected drive. Now this one had a bumpy beginning. I was going a completely different direction with it, but after arguing with my friend and boyfriend that I could some thing much different and much more—classier, I decided to go this way which I thought was cute. Anyway, read and review…

TTFN

Baby Turtle


	12. Memory theme 11

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 11: Memory (January 25, 2011)-dedicated to Tabitha

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth or CATS. If I did I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I make no profit from this, if I did, please see prior statement. I'm poor, I don't even make profit from my own characters! It's just not fair!

Anyway, enjoy!

For the past twenty years, Sarah Baker had come to this park faithfully every night. The night guards, and even the newer ones, knew her by name and never bothered her. She would go and set up a small little blanket at the top of the hill not far from an amphitheater. She loved to watch the performers practice there at night. This time it was a musical troupe that would be performing Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS. She loved the acting and musical troupes and would sometimes give them sage advice. Tonight, one of the girls was practicing singing "Grizabella's Memory", one of the crowning pieces of the musical. She remembered being so excited when she first played the part. Her performance was fueled by the memories of what could have been when she was sixteen. She'd offered some sage advice to the young woman now playing the part. She was sure the young girl had brushed her off. Most people paid very little attention to Sarah now that she was in her dotage. Sarah laughed quietly to herself. She remembered being impetuous. When Sarah was in her youthful years, she thought she knew everything and mostly shrugged of advice from the older people, with haughty airs. In her mind she would always say, I was once a consort to the Goblin King you know. The introduction music was over, and the words began.

_Midnight_

_Not a sound from the pavement_

_Has the moon lost her memory?_

_She is smiling alone_

_In the lamplight_

_The withered leaves collect at my feet_

_And the wind begins to moan_

Now in her dotage, Sarah identified with the character more. She understood more about an old woman trying to get back her past life, in a lonely lost world. She knew a place for the lost and the lonely, but it was too hard to get there. She was more interested in dealing with her present circumstances. She'd married a man from her troupe and while he was no Goblin King she was happier with him than many could boast. They'd led long full lives and she was happy in this world, and then he died. He'd got cancer and after fighting, he decided he was tired and gave up the ghost. It had been hard on her to lose him. She used to come with him here and watch the performers, and sometimes reminisce about days when they would perform. Together they would laugh and smile until they were both too tired to stay awake. She came now just to keep the tradition alive, some small spark of him with her. She'd wear his old coat during the winter, and his favorite straw had during the summer. Sarah shivered and wrapped her blanket a little tighter around her. The second verse was always so melancholy.

_Memory_

_All alone in the moonlight_

_I can smile at the old days_

_I was beautiful then_

_I remember the time I knew what happiness was_

_Let the memory live again_

Oh yes, she very much identified with this verse. What woman didn't? She remembered being hailed as a Broadway beauty, once she finally made it there. The description was burned into her mind, "Sarah Williams," since it was before her marriage, "burns up Broadway with her passion and burns up your heart with her fiery emerald eyes." She'd tried to age gracefully, unlike her mother, who had so many nips and tucks there were more sutures than skin. She'd made sure to keep her weight off, since it was the leading ager, and tired to eat healthy. She smoothed her grey hair back a little bit. She'd started wearing it in style that hinted of a teenaged nostalgia. She'd cut it short to her chin but wore it parted at the side and clipped back with a silver grey clip. She thought about the Goblin King and wondered for a moment if he ever thought about her. She gave a small laugh. "Like the Goblin King, who probably never aged a day in his life, would think about you, and old woman." She said aloud. "I bet the words don't even work anymore." She looked around to see if anyone was listening to an old woman talk to herself before bravely blurting out, "I wish the Goblin King would come to me right now." When nothing happened, Sarah sighed to herself. "Yeah what would a handsome magical Goblin King want with an old woman." The hook started.

_Every streetlamp_

_Seems to beat a fatalistic warning_

_Someone mutters_

_And the streetlamp gutters_

_And soon it will be morning_

This was a sad verse. Grizabella was running out of time to relive her memories and dreams, since night was the best time. Sarah didn't feel that hopeless, at least she didn't think she did. She had to weigh her life for a moment there. She was a little alone, and she knew she would die soon. That was a morbid thought so she pushed it away from her mind. Still she had to think about what was in her future. She wasn't a little alone; she was incredibly alone. Toby was there for her yes, but he had his own life and she couldn't expect him to stick around forever and now since she had confirmed that her childhood adventure was nothing more than a realistic dream it seemed worse. Besides what would a Goblin King want with a headstrong moody girl?

"Don't sell yourself short, Sarah." A frisson ran through her as she heard a voice from the past, a voice only moments ago she thought didn't exist. She turned around and saw him standing there, just as she remembered him, tall, poised and regal.

Her lips parted involuntarily. "It's you." She murmured lowly.

"It is."

"You came." The third verse commenced with a brighter hope.

_Daylight_

_I must wait for the sunrise_

_I must think of a new life_

_And I mustn't give in_

_When the dawn comes_

_Tonight will be a memory too_

_And a new day will begin_

He smirked and leaned forward on his jeweled came. "Why wouldn't I come? I rarely get repeat customers." His smile was enchanting and hinted at something feral, almost—sinister, but that wasn't quite the right word. His presence seemed to scintillate the moonlight around him.

"You came." She repeated and then felt a little bit silly. She shouldn't be so tongue tied.

"Yes, we've established that." He retorted impatiently. "Did you call me for some specific reason or was it just to prove that you're not insane?" Sarah finally regained herself. She knitted her brow together trying to think of why she really called him. Yes, it was to see if he was real, but she knew there were deeper thoughts than that.

"I'm not really sure." She finally replied. "I guess—" she broke off as she thought a little bit more. "I guess I wanted to see if it still worked. I remembered you saying that the lost and the lonely were welcome there and I'm—" she just stopped and looked down at the blanket in her pale wrinkled hands. It was her late husband's favorite blanket. A small tear formed in the corner of her eye. She didn't see Jareth nod but he understood. The second hook began.

_Burnt out ends of smoky days_

_The stale cold smell of morning_

_The streetlamp dies, another night is over_

_Another day is dawning_

They were quiet a moment before Jareth sat next to her. "You sang better than this girl does." He said absently. Sarah smiled.

"You were watching?" She asked, still smiling. He didn't respond to her, but she took his silence as assent. He was still poised and regal, but at the same time seemed more approachable than she remembered. He looked at her and placed a gloved hand over hers. For a moment their eyes connected, not in a romantic sense, but in a personal way.

"My condolences for your loss, Sarah." He said earnestly.

"Thank you." She replied softly. Again they were silent.

"I have a gift for you." He said holding in his hand a shimmering, iridescent crystal. It didn't play on his hands or rest on the tips of his fingers as it did the last time. He just simply held out for her in his palm. "It's a crystal nothing more."

"But if I turn it, it will show me my dreams." She smirked as she took the crystal. The fourth verse resounded passionately throughout the park.

_Touch me_

_It's so easy to leave me_

_All alone with the memory_

_Of my days in the sun_

_If you touch me_

_You'll understand what happiness is_

"It will give you another chance. To change one choice, and see where it leads you." He explained. Sarah nodded. For a moment she contemplated what change she would make. Finally, when she made her choice, she clutched the crystal close to her chest. She closed her fiery emerald eyes. There was nothing to mark the transition from the old Sarah to the sixteen year old Sarah. She stood in a broken Escher room, bits of the stair case floating around her haphazardly. The Goblin King was in front of her. He looked transparent in his white owl coat and grey clothing. He was holding out a crystal to her and pleading with her. Sarah had one the baby back, this much she knew, but did she have to go back? This time, instead of saying those fateful words, Sarah reached out and touched the crystal.

Morning opened on the park. The night guard changed out for the day one, and the play members were long gone. It was the day guard, an older man; his last name was Baker, who noticed the woman at the top of the hill. He slowly made his way up there figuring some transient was sleeping in the park. Once he reached her, he called out to her, but there was no response. He reached out to the woman; she was cold, very cold. He felt her pulse, and there was none.

_Look_

_A new day has begun_

So yeah this is a songfic. It will probably be one of the only ones that I do. I try to avoid songfics like the plague. The title just seemed to fit the theme. I hope you read and review. As always, flames are accepted.

Ttfn baby turtle.


	13. Misfortune theme 13

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 13: Misfortune ()-dedicated to Jess

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. If I did I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I make no profit from this, if I did, please see prior statement. I'm poor, I don't even make profit from my own characters! It's just not fair!

Anyway, enjoy!

Misfortune, by definition is "an event or conjunction of events that causes an unfortunate or distressing result" according to Merriam Webster. It's something that we, as humans, experience daily in our lives, whether it be big or little. We've, for the most part, learned to cope with misfortune and act accordingly or not so accordingly as the case may be. It is unfortunate, however, that the Fey race, as a whole should be so inclined to fortune that they never really learn how to cope with its negative counterpart. As such, when one of them doesn't get his way, he broods until something is done to remedy the situation. Like the Fey, humans may brood, but we must also move on. It's a delicate dance we learn in expressly abhorrent schooling of Misfortune. However, as the case may be, we, humans are sometimes fortunate enough to have Fortune smile on us. This is usually a bad thing though, for we become pompous. It is an especially bad thing to be pompous about having good fortune to win a game when one is playing against a Fey (since the whole magical race thinks they are far more superior to lowly humans.)

Sarah was not inclined to care that she was now boasting the high honor of besting the supercilious Goblin King, who seemed to be remarkably taken with the girl, to his own friends. (Yet, another thing he was highly unaccustomed to and did not care to bear.) His friends, though they could not be truly called friends, merely comrades in the snobbery of the royal Fey, laughed at the tale of how the young mortal girl bested him at his own game. He continued to pout in the corner, glowering fiery hold in the back to the teenage girl's head. After a while, he noticed that most of her audience was males, young princes who'd never had the pleasure of entertaining a human female. Suddenly, he let a small sort of chortle escape his mouth as he moved gracefully to the other side of the room, no longer interested in what was going on with the young woman, suddenly his fortune at this soiree seemed much more pleasant.

Now unbeknownst to all living things, Fortune and Misfortune had a deal. The deal detailed that only one person could have the fortune at one time. Seeing now that the Goblin King had found his fortune, they realized that things had to go badly for Sarah. So as the night went on, Sarah found herself in a more and more secluded area with a particular prince. Fortunately, before she's acquiesced to her invitation, Hoggle advised her not to drink anything but the drink she poured herself. She'd followed this advice and kept her own drink in her hand the entire night. This was very unfortunate for the prince who was now trying to entertain her as he wished. Feeling a little less proud and a little more like a bewildered rabbit, Sarah tried to excuse herself from him. He, however, was determined and refused to relinquish her.

Finally, he'd cornered in the garden, away from everyone; except for one pair of eyes that could not wait to see the ruin of his enemy. He felt that she, as a plebian of the Fey society, should be kept to her place and was more than inclined to watch her tormentor work. He steadied himself on the balcony allowing his owlish eyes to train on the couple. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable. She squirmed in her seat as the prince moved closer to her. She'd tried moving away from him until she ran out of seat, and she stood up to move to the other side of the yard, but he followed her. Using the hedge to his advantage, he successfully trapped her between his arms. Suddenly, Misfortune changed her mind. Sarah realized that she could very well be in control of the situation. She was not about to allow her grand victory to be summed up in this defeat. She hardened her young face and looked at the young prince. Much to his surprise and dismay, she very brusquely excused herself from his presence.

She proceeded up the stairs and back to the party. She saw the Goblin King from the corner of her eye. He didn't look pleased. Just to irk him more, Sarah squared her shoulders and turned her nose up just a little bit more and refused to even glance fully in his direction. She opened the heavy door, still carrying her drink in her hand. Suddenly, Misfortune had another change of heart. Sarah had left the door open wide to allow her enemy to watch her graceful descent to the revelry below. Three things seemed to happen at once. Sarah's heel caught on the back of her dress. The dress was a delicate thing; it seemed to be spun of gossamer spider webs. When her high heel caught on the hem of her dress, it ripped the back of it completely. She flung forward and the crimson liquid sloshed out of her glass down the front of the borrowed gown. She felt her face flush, as she realized that the back of her gown was entirely gone. From the top of the stairs, she could hear the boisterous laughter of the Goblin King. The moment he'd realized that her attempt to swan into the gala was completely foiled, the Goblin King decided that Misfortune was a good companion to keep, as long as it was misfortunate for your enemies.

Yes, another one… I'm doing really good with this… YAY me.

Jareth: Baby Turtle, you're nothing in comparison with my wonder.

Oh shut up your royal Glittery Tightness. Anyway, come on people, I know that you're reading it… or rather at least looking at it. Please please please please please please please review. I'll tell you what. I will use a plot bunny from the first reviewer… (With in reason) I hope that's incentive to review… lol either way please review. Or as we all like to say leave a contribution in the little box! Lol :P

TTFN

Baby Turtle


	14. Dreams theme 39

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 39: Dreams (April 29, 2011)-dedicated to Zeta Sigma

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I make no profit from this, if I did, please see prior statement. I'm poor; I don't even make profit from my own characters! It's just not fair!

Anyway, enjoy

I was prone. I could not tell why, but there was a searing pain in my chest. I tried to lift myself up but my entire body screamed at me to stop moving. I complied. There was something in my chest; I could feel it. Very slowly, I craned my neck and looked behind me. I saw a sword protruding from my back. Suddenly, the pain intensified and radiated through my entire body. I looked down below me and saw crimson liquid pooling under my body. With one last grunt, I collapsed into the pool.

I startled awake. Instinctively, my hands went to my chest to search for any signs of a sword. When I was satisfied that there wasn't a sword, I collapsed back into my cot with a relieved sigh. Death dreams plagued me constantly, especially since my brother removed me from the castle. I was grateful for the reprieve from my brother's vast reach in Ivory's cottage, but at the same time, I longed to walk the halls of my palace. I swung my legs over the side of the bed.

I glanced at Ivory's cot on the other side of the room where she slept. She opened her blue eyes and glared at me slightly. I forgot how lightly she slept, and watched her for a few moments until she fell back asleep quickly. In the dim moon light, I could see her pale white skin, and the stark contrast it had with her raven black hair. Then, I saw the crimson red strands of her bangs lying across her face like blood leaking for her skin. I turned away repulsed as my recent dream crowded my mind. I felt a little wretched for turning from the woman who'd so faithfully served me all these years. She'd been my companion and confidant, my soldier and advisor. I couldn't stand the thought of her blood any more than I could my own, perhaps less.

I grabbed my cloak and went outside to clear my mind. On listless nights, such as this, I would walk the Escher room. However, as Seth took my castle from me, I resorted to the river. I could see my palace standing proudly, yet mockingly on the horizon. I knew each turret and spiraling wall so well. However, my brother had removed them from me forever. I came to a place by the riverside and sat down. I watched luminescent fish swim around in the water. I blinked a few times at the fish and then at the castle.

A black void surrounded me. I saw nothing, but was vaguely aware of the clanging of swords. A spark flashed and I saw that I was the one holding the sword. Another clang reverberated through my body as my unseen enemy continued a viscous onslaught. I still fought harder and harder against my invisible antagonist. Momentarily, I lost my balance, and he caught me in the arm slicing mercilessly. Death suddenly seemed imminent, but I spurred myself onward. The figure solidified before me; I could make out the brilliant white skin. Seeing an opening, I grabbed its shoulder and with all the force my tired body could muster, thrust my sword through its midsection. There was a sickening rip and a grunt as the sword pierced through his flesh. As he coughed, blood spurted from his mouth on to my face.

Suddenly the entire room lighted, and my senses became very aware of what was going on. I was in the throne room of my castle. Sweat, grime, and blood caked my hair to my face. Though it only seemed seconds, the battle with my opponent had raged for a long time.

"Jareth," the pale white figure said. My attention suddenly centered on the person still on my sword. The blue eyes were wide with shock, and black hair matted to the face. My heart stopped.

I pulled back abhorred. I couldn't comprehend that I had just killed my best soldier, and friend. Horrified, I watched her fall to her knees and then forward. Another sickening rip resounded as the sword lodged itself deeply in her stomach. Blood trickled from her blue lips and began pooling around her body. I heard a raucous laughter behind me. I spun around and caught only a glimpse of dark brown hair flicking.

"Brava Brother," Seth's cruel voice trilled sarcastically. He was behind me again, so I turned to face him. This time he stood before me, smirking wildly. "I commend you on your conquest." He motioned to the body lying before us. The blood was pooling around my feet. "You so effectively destroyed my only opposition."

Before I had time to conjure a weapon, he was in front of me. "And thus, I am become king." He whispered as he pushed a rapier through me. I felt it rip through my shirt, skin, and into my vital organs. The pain was intense. I looked down and saw the hilt of my coronation sword protruding from me. Its golden handle winked at me maliciously. Seth's gloved hand still intertwined in the handle, he gave one more thrust to push the ram guard into my chest. I felt the point of the rapier press into my spine and continued through my back. He turned the sword and I felt it rip each fiber of my entrails. I felt the life leaving me as the blood pooled in my body. Seth laughed again as he pushed me back. As my body slammed against the hard granite floor, the rapier pushed its way back through my body. It was excruciating, yet at the same time I was numb to the happening. I felt myself fall, and I felt the rapier scrape through my body, but I was numb. My head lolled to the prone form of my fallen friend. Her blue eyes glazed over staring at me. I closed my eyes and in some finality, gave up the ghost.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow  
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day  
To the last syllable of recorded time;  
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools  
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!  
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player  
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage  
And then is heard no more. It is a tale  
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,  
Signifying nothing.

~ From _Macbeth_

A/N: So this is for Zeta Sigma. She won the challenge because no one else reviewed and because she's awesome like that. Her request was dark, and Jareth centric, so this is what she gets. Lol So my beta type best friend said that this didn't sound much like my style. I'm curious what the rest of you think. Review or PM and tell me so I can tell him I'm right. TTFN


	15. Food theme 87

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 87: Food (July 9, 2011)-dedicated to food.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be rolling in the millions I'd made. I make no profit from this, if I did, please see prior statement. I'm poor; I don't even make profit from my own characters! It's just not fair!

Anyway, enjoy!

After I answered a forbidden call from the Chaldean land, I left her to the Labyrinth's mercy. I'd never expected to see her again. Chaldean's were completely cut off from our world. The Labyrinth selected me to answer the call, which was unusual since I was still a prince. I figured that the Labyrinth would do away with her, so I forgot about her. Then, one day my father called me into his study.

"Jareth," he said, "undoubtedly you've heard that your last guard had something to do with infiltration into the Labyrinth."

"Yes," I replied.

"Well, we obviously can't have you unguarded. I have selected another person, a Chaldean woman. She's risen in the ranks within this decade. We're not sure where she came from, but she seems to be loyal to us. She's very well skilled. She will start in a week's time."

"Very well, Sire." With that, he dismissed me. As I walked down the corridor to my room, I wondered if it was the same Chaldean that I'd brought to the Labyrinth. I certainly had no reason to believe that it wasn't. How else would a Chaldean be here? I resolved to meet her before she started the post. I went to the High General and asked him a few questions. He was not very forthcoming with information, but he did direct me to the camps.

As I entered the camps, I was rather disgusted. The men weren't very clean, and the living conditions were atrocious. However, they did respect me and bowed very politely. One soldier actually took the initiative to approach me.

"Your Highness, to what do we owe this pleasure?" He bowed slightly.

"I'm looking for Colonel Ivory."

"I'm sorry, that you're quest was in vain, my lord. The Colonel is not here at present. She's in the training grounds. Shall I fetch her for you Sire?"

"No, soldier" I replied. "When is the best time to find the Colonel?"

"In the morning, Sire, she takes her breakfast in the castle kitchen."

"Very good." I replied. I figured it wouldn't be too hard to find her in the castle kitchen. She would be the only Chaldean there, and breakfast was as good as any other hour of the day.

"Is there anything else I can assist you with, my lord?"

"No," I said. I looked down at the soldier. "Also, let it be known, I do not wish the Colonel to know that I was here." He bowed and retreated.

The next morning I went to the kitchen at breakfast time to find the Colonel. I wanted to catch her off guard so she wouldn't have any prepared answers. The kitchen bustled with life as the cooks prepared the royal meal. When I entered, the commotion halted except for a squawking chicken in the background. A few of the lesser servants disappeared, but the rest bowed. The head cook stepped forward.

"What can we do for you, young Prince?" He asked me with a respectful nod of his head.

"I'm looking for the Colonel. I was told she takes her breakfast here in the kitchen." The cook looked down at his feet, and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Highness, she does not take her breakfast at the royal time. She gets here before the dawn." This news shocked me. Who in their right mind would get up before the dawn to eat? I knew sometimes my father would to take care of business matters in the early morning hours, but as a strict rule, most royal fea did not wake until 10:00 in the morning and then we took an hour to dress. I sighed, nodded, and left. I felt rather defeated, until I resolved to wake early in the morning and find this Chaldean soldier.

It took me three days to catch her. She was a hard person to pinpoint, and kept a completely rigorous schedule. The cook did give me some information about her, such as she took a three-mile run every morning. After that, she would come eat in the kitchen to keep attachments from developing among the crew. I walked wearily into the kitchen this morning and sat down at the table. The kitchen help had not arrived since the royal family wasn't due to eat for a long while still; however, the cook continued to bustled about.

"Good morning Sire," he said with a sigh as he turned some sausage over in a pan.

"Good morning. Have I missed her?" I asked wistfully.

"No," he glanced over his shoulder. "She's actually just arriving."

I followed his gaze to the open door and saw a woman jogging up. She was wearing tight military pants and her long black hair was tied in a tight braid. As she came closer, any doubt that this was Chaldean woman I'd brought here so long ago disappeared. She huffed slightly as she came inside.

"Good morning Hollock," she said taking a canteen and took a deep drink.

"Mornin' Colonel, you have company." He nodded slightly towards me. She glanced over at me and raised an eyebrow. Her red face tensed slightly.

"Your Majesty, to what do I owe this honor?" She asked with a low bow.

"Undoubtedly you know that your next post is on my personal guard." She nodded slightly. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your loyalties."

"Of course my lord, however, would you mind doing it while I ate? Unfortunately, future posts do not relieve my current duties."

"Actually, Colonel, would you mind if I joined you?"

Again, she bowed. "If it pleases your majesty," she sat down and turned to Hollock. "Breakfast if you please Hollock."

"Mine as well, Hollock." The cook nodded and began to dish out large plates full of meat. He poured the Colonel a dark cup of coffee and set a plate of eggs in front of her. Then He set a plate of fruit and eggs in front of me. The Colonel began eating, oblivious to my dark stare.

"How can you eat that?" I asked her, disgusted.

She looked up at me. "If it pleases your majesty, I just ran three miles, and in half an hour I will be going to do heavy training. I have to keep my protein up." She glanced down at my plate. "A diet as light as yours would have me fainting before the first three hours of training was over. War games are rigorous."

I was still appalled at her eating habits. I'd never seen so much meat at once, but it seemed that she ate it routinely. After a few moments, Hollock set another plate of fruits between us. "Well, I don't understand why you would need so much meat. It's revolting. Do all Chaldeans eat like this?"

"If your majesty wished to know about my Chaldean past, you didn't need to set up an elaborate meeting time. It would be yours for the asking, Sire. I have nothing to hide." She responded eating another link of sausage and chugging some coffee. I delicately sipped my tea. I know that when I did have war training, I would eat more, but this was ridiculous.

"As I stated before, Colonel, I only wished to know of your loyalties."

"Very well, Sire. I have no reason to be disloyal or cause you harm. Actually, you could benefit from my taking this post." She smirked.

"Really, how so?"

"I'd teach you to eat like a soldier." With that, she pushed a plate of sausage forward, stood and left.

After her post as my guard, she'd risen through the ranks. During those years, I'd often ask her to dine with me, and she would always have Hollock put that extra plate in between us. I never touched the stuff, though I did add a good deal of meat to my diet.

So, I'm back! And everyone says…. "NOOOOOO baby turtle don't come back." Lol Anyway, here's another challenge. And yes it is dedicated to food, because until you can't have it you don't know what you're missing. ;) I hope everyone enjoys it. And let me know if I made Jareth to girly. I kinda wanted him prim, because at this point he's still a young prince. (Fea live for a long time you know). R and R.

TTFN

Baby Turtle


	16. Mother Nature Theme 22

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 22: Mother Nature- dedicated to...

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth, if I did, I would be rolling in the piles of money I'd be making. I make no profit from this, again if I did, please see the prior statement. What's really not fair is that make no profit from the characters I do own. See Sarah, that's something to complain about, having the Goblin King come to you when you call him is not. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading. AND REVIEW PEOPLE! I can tell how many hits I get, please review I'm begging you!

I stood in Jareth's room watching him tie his ascot. "It's crooked you know." I said

"Thank you for that observation, Ivory, but if you're not going to fix it, I suggest you don't say anything." He retorted tersely. Something had him on edge today.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You're tense today Jareth." I replied. I walked up to him and straitened the ascot. "Anyway, I've come to give you an early report." I went on with details about important dignitaries, Elite Fea, and high Fea that were looming around. They were particularly interested in Sarah Williams, the human that had recently come to the Labyrinth. As I spoke, I couldn't help but notice Jareth's had an extremely anxious demeanor.

"Should I send for something to calm your nerves, Jareth?" I asked him, standing back.

He sighed and fixed his ascot again. "No, Ivory, I suppose I should just relax. But I can't help feeling—" His thoughts trailed off.

"That edge in the air?" I finished for him. I nodded with a sigh. "I've been feeling it for a week now. The Labyrinth thinks someone extremely important is coming, but doesn't know who it is." I walked back into the room and picked up my sword. "Anyway, there's a review of the regiments soon, I have to prepare them for it. I'll see you later today." I said as I tied the sword around my waist, and left the room.

Later that afternoon, I stood in the training fields, doing a dry run of my cavalry regiment. I tried to force my focus on the troops trotting past me on their strong horses. It was an exercise in futility. I could not rid myself of the feeling that something was about to break loose. My eyes closed momentarily as I tried to focus on the source of the disturbance. It had the entire Labyrinth waiting for the storm, even its king.

"Distracted, High General?" I heard a voice call out to me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw my second in command, leaning forward on his horse. He smirked at me.

"I just feel something—" A loud crack of thunder in the distance startled me and brought my thoughts to a halt. I knew that thunder, but I prayed that it wasn't what I supposed it to be. Looking behind me, I saw dark, black clouds forming in the distance. "No," I whispered, and then turned to my second. "Take command." Without thinking, I dismounted and threw a crystal in the air to transport to the royal receiving room. Jareth was already there trying his best to make the room presentable.

"Mother Nature!" I yelled.

"Yes, thank you, High General, now please help me. Get the tea from the kitchen." He barked. I nodded and ran to the kitchen and grabbed the special herbal tea from the cook and transported back to the receiving room. Jareth had cleared it of goblins and opened all the windows to let in light. He even created a few plants in the corners. They were about to breathe when a very sharp voice broke their almost peace.

"Honestly, Jareth, I thought I gave enough notice for you to be completely prepared for me." I shuddered as I turned around to face the lovely Gia. Her skin was like caramel. Her hair was short brown hair and had green tips that flipped out in a curl at the ends. She sat regally in her large flower throne.

Jareth inhaled and turned around to face her. She raised an eyebrow over a green eye. "Gia, how good of you to—"

She held up her extremely long fingers to silence him. "I'm not interested in you Goblin Prince. I'm not even here to torment your little pet." She said with a sharp look at me. I just looked at the floor. "I'm only interested in that little meat sack human Loki's got you babysitting." She replied. Jareth nodded to me, and I left immediately to fetch Sarah.

I tried not to run as I passed through the corridors looking for Sarah and Dramos. I found them quickly. Dramos immediately snapped to attention. "At ease," I said to him. "I need Sarah." I grabbed Sarah by the wrist.

"Wait," She protested. "Where are we going?"

"Mother Nature's here."

"What?" Sarah asked pulling her arm out of my grip.

I sighed, barely keeping my temper. "Sarah," I said through my clenched teeth. "We don't have time for this. Mother Nature is here, and she wants to see you." I grabbed her arm again and tried to pull her along. She dug her heels in and turned to Dramos. He stepped forward and touched my shoulder. "High General, I'll get Sarah ready. I'll bring her to you momentarily." I clenched my jaw, and then nodded.

"Fine, but be quick about it." I snapped. He nodded and disappeared with Sarah. I stood where I was and waited for them to return. I tried not to fidget at all, but it was difficult. Mother Nature made me extremely nervous. If she was upset at all, she could completely destroy the Labyrinth. She would cause a famine in the land at the smallest slight. I inhaled and regained my composure. Just in time too, Jareth came out of the greeting room. He looked annoyed.

"Where's Sarah?" He asked.

"Dramos is getting her ready. I figured it was better him than I kill her when she opens her mouth." I retorted. "Is it safe to leave her alone in there?"

"Yes, she should be fine. While Gia is an inconvenient nuisance, she's not dangerous."

"Not in this sense." I replied. We were quiet for a moment and heard voices coming from the greeting room. The voices escalated to a shout. Jareth and I burst back into the other room and found Sarah yelling at Mother Nature. My heart stopped as I saw the irritated look on Gia's face. I followed my first instinct and ran to Sarah. I clapped my hand over her mouth. As I dragged Sarah to the other side of the room, Jareth stepped forward.

"Ah, Gia, I see you've met Lady Sarah." He started, as he tried to smooth things over.

Once we were on the other side of the room, Sarah jerked my hands away. "Your hands taste like a horse's butt!" She yelled. I ignored her.

"What do you think you're doing?" I snapped at her, trying to keep my voice low.

"She started it."

"I don't care. You don't anger Mother Nature." I yelled.

Mother Nature interrupted our conversation. "Chaldean dog, you and the meat sack can come back over here." I flexed my jaw and tried to keep my temper.

"You're gonna let her talk to you like that." Sarah snapped grabbing my arm. I inhaled and calmed my nerves.

"Sarah, Mother Nature is a powerful force; my people come before my pride." I shrugged out of her grip and adjusted my vest. Sarah followed behind me.

"Yes, Mother Nature, you called?"

"Yes, well I wanted to see if the meat sack had regained its senses." I looked at Sarah, who was still standing a few paces behind me. She crossed her arms, and chewed her lip trying to keep any angry retribution from spilling out.

"Yes, Gia," I replied. "I believe Lady Sarah has composed herself."

"All right, meat sack, turn around." Mother Nature commanded with a twirl of her long fingers. Sarah turned around grudgingly. "Well, you're not one of the prettiest meat sacks I've ever seen. In fact, you're not a pretty anything. This Chaldean mutt's prettier than you." I saw Sarah's stance tighten. She crossed her arms a little deeper and hunched in. Her eyes were boring fiery holes into Mother Nature. I stood by as Mother Nature barreled insult after venomous insult at Sarah. I could tell Sarah was reaching her limit. I knew that this would not end well. I knew what Mother Nature was trying to do. She was the mother of any type of nymph, dryad, and any other natural being. She was a powerful force and loved to torment all the other kingdoms. Mother Nature continued to torment Sarah for the next hour or so. I think somewhere in there; I even reached my breaking point. I truly applauded Sarah's self-restraint, not that I would ever tell her that. I wasn't particularly fond of her. She'd almost broken Jareth completely. Any personal feelings I held for him aside, Jareth was first and foremost my king. My sense of duty dictated that I destroy any danger.

Finally, Mother Nature got bored after what seemed like a century. "Well, I suppose that for a meat sack, I'll have to tolerate your presence here in the Underground. Just be warned, meat sack, don't cross me, or any of my daughters. One less meat sack in the world is meaningless to us." With her threat delivered, Mother Nature disappeared. It seemed like the whole Labyrinth relaxed. I know I did, I suddenly let out the breath I'd taken hours ago.

"What's her problem?" Sarah demanded. I could see the anger seething from within.

"Mother Nature loves to torment people. She loves any excuse to cause a famine. That's what Ivory meant when she said people before pride." Jareth supplied. He'd relaxed in the seconds following Mother Nature's departure. He sat behind his desk and returned to his paperwork.

"What do you mean, Jareth?" She asked.

I felt disrespected because she used his first name so informally. I know Jareth didn't mind. He'd told me on numerous occasions that he liked the sound of his name coming from her mouth. I stepped into the conversation. "What our _King_ means Sarah, is that Mother Nature will cause famine. That in turn wreaks havoc on the land, which diminishes my troops. I stepped between them and put a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "If you want some stress relief Sarah, I suggest sparring with Dramos. A good spar usually relieves the tension." I walked out of the room and went back to my troops. I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me. As I was Jareth's servant, his feelings for Sarah did not involve me. As I walked out of the room, I saw Mother Nature leaning against the wall.

"She tests your strength, Chaldean." She said condescendingly.

"You'll forgive me Gia, but to what are you referring to?"

"You're playing coy. I may be just the mother of the flora and the fauna. Don't discount that I know how animals behave."

"I'm not playing coy, nor am I an animal. My king may have his choice of queens. My duty is to follow orders."

"Very well then, Chaldean dog, if that's the way you feel then so be it. I suppose you Chaldeans are fighters, not lovers."

I tried to hold my temper. It was getting increasingly difficult. "Gia, I learned long ago, my people before my pride. Highest of all those people is my King. If you have nothing further to taunt me with, I do have work to attend to."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked at me. She waved her hand towards the empty hallway. I walked away quickly taking comfort in the sound of my clicking heels. I knew Mother Nature was watching me walk away. She always had to have the last word in situations like this.

FIN

So, I was counting how many of these I had done, I have 16 of these done. That's way more than my account (which can be found here: .com/ ) yay for shameless self promotion right! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one. It was somewhat fun to write. Anyway, read and review… It really makes my day when I see reviews… or Personal Message.


	17. Childhood Theme 48

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 48: Childhood (August 2, 2011) dedicated to my boyfriend who was my childhood sweetheart before I knew him.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth, if I did, I would be rolling in the piles of money I'd be making. I make no profit from this, again if I did, please see the prior statement. What's really not fair is that make no profit from the characters I do own. See Sarah, that's something to complain about, having the Goblin King come to you when you call him is not. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading. AND REVIEW PEOPLE! I can tell how many hits I get, please review I'm begging you!

Once Sarah and me were able to get back into the Underground, I immediately went back into the service. It felt good to be back in the uniform and serving under Ivory again. She'd said that once the Labyrinth was back in order I'd be able to get back to my training. For now though, I was just working as her page. I liked working for Ivory again. I hated the Aboveground. I'd been there since I was fourteen, and hated all four years I spent there. Jareth and Ivory had sent us back there while the stupid war against the Labyrinth went on. That morning a post had come specially marked from Chaldea. It didn't have any of the usual military markings. It looked more like a personal letter marked directly to Ivory. I walked into her tent and saluted.

"High General,"

"At ease Toby, what is it?" She asked. I relaxed and handed her the post. Most of it was from dignitaries in other countries. She thumbed through it quickly then laid it all aside. I chewed the inside of my lip while I contemplated handing her the other paper. "Is there anything else Toby?"

I handed her the letter. She skimmed over the letter for a minute before her blue eyes lit up. She tore the letter open and read it excitedly. She quickly scribbled out a letter and sealed it. "Take this to Jareth directly, Toby. Tell him to follow my instructions explicitly."

"Yes, High General." I took her reply and went to the palace where Jareth was overseeing the reconstruct of his library, which was in chaos after the war. I walked up slowly and cleared my throat.

"Jareth," I said. He turned around to face me. "Ivory told me to bring you this." I handed him the letter. He sighed, aggravated. He tore it open and read it.

"Asher!" he yelled. My sister's boyfriend seemed to come out of nowhere. He always did that.

"You bellowed?" He asked fluidly. Jareth stuffed the letter forward. Asher read it and smirked. "Well, I was wondering when he'd turn up."

"Who is _he_?" I asked.

"An old friend of Ivory's, more specifically a childhood beau, Arden."

"A beau?" Jareth asked incredulously. "Ivory never said anything about a beau to me."

"Well, she wouldn't have." Asher said with a raised eyebrow, giving Jareth a low look. It wasn't any secret that Ivory liked Jareth. Well, everyone knew, except Jareth—he'd been to in love with Sarah for too long, and it blinded him. I saw Jareth tense. He'd only recently become aware that she thought of him as more than a king. "Anyway, she demands that you make up a room for him." Asher handed the letter back to Jareth and walked away.

"I'm sure this beau isn't very handsome." Jareth said.

"What?" I asked. He looked at me over his shoulder.

"This—whatever he is can't be very handsome. I'm sure we should have no cause for alarm. What do you say, Toby?"

"No, I don't think we will. I mean if he didn't marry her then, obviously she didn't like him." I replied. I wasn't sure how I felt about another guy getting Ivory's attention. Except for the last four years, she'd always been there for me. If she got with someone from Chaldea, would she have to move back there? Probably. I decided then that I didn't like this guy.

Two weeks passed before this guy showed up. We all stood in front of the castle waiting to meet him. I stood behind Ivory on her right, and Asher stood to her left. Jareth stood regally at the top of the stairs. He refused to deign to this man's level. The Chaldean man rode up on a horse. He looked like some sort wannabe knight from one of Sarah's fairy tale books. He took his helmet off and shook out his long blonde hair. He had a large dark brown chunk of hair. His beard was the same colors and his eyes were dark brown as well. He swung off his horse and stalked up to Ivory.

"Ivory of Chaldea, it has been far too long!" He exclaimed pulling her into a hug. "You've cut your hair since I last saw you."

"You haven't changed a bit Arden." She said hugging him back. "The recent war did call for a change in my looks. You know as well as I that the Drow don't fight fair." They both laughed and hugged again. "Anyway, to more formal matters, Arden you know my brother, Asher. And this young man is my personal page, Toby." She motioned to me and Arden stepped forward and offered me his hand. I shook it just to be polite.

"Well, you are a strapping young man. You remind me of myself when I was your age. I used to roam around with Ivory. We got into all sorts of trouble." He said smiling at Ivory. She smiled back and it looked like they were sharing a moment. I withdrew my hand and cleared my throat.

"High General, your king is waiting." I said. Ivory looked down and then look up the stairs where Jareth stood. He was waiting with a very stern look on his face. I knew he didn't like this beau of Ivory's any more than I did. He started up the stairs and bowed before Jareth.

"Your majesty, it's an honor to finally meet you." He schmoozed Jareth for a little while longer before Ivory took him to settle in the room she'd prepared for him.

Over the next three days, no one saw very much of Ivory except when she would show up for dinners with Arden. He had her completely in his control. I knew Jareth couldn't stand it. I even caught him spying on her in one of his crystals. He was in his study pretending to work. I walked in to deliver a letter from another dignitary to him and saw him glaring at a crystal. I could only see Arden and Ivory's shape, not much else, but I figured something bad happened when he smashed the crystal angrily.

"Jealous?" I asked. He just looked up at me.

"Toby, a king is never jealous." I just raised my eyebrow expectantly at him. "Sarah's not here to protect you from me, Toby, don't think I won't bog you."

"It's ok, I hate him too. He's too—"

"Smooth. If she doesn't return to her senses, I'm going to have to put an end to this gallivanting. I don't care if he is her childhood beau; she lives in the here and in the now, and she serves me." He leaned back in his wingback chair.

"Yeah, well do it soon, because I'm getting sick of being Larkland's whipping boy. I don't care if he's Ivory's second in command; he's a pain. Anyway, here's the letters I was supposed to bring you." I turned to walk out as he sat there and stared into another crystal.

Before I walked outside, I heard him yell and smash the other crystal. "Hey, Jareth, if you're going to do something, do it soon. I can't take much more of you either."

It was almost another week before Ivory and Arden even came back to the castle. She wanted all of us to sit down and have dinner with Arden like he was some sort of special person. In my opinion, Arden wasn't any different from any other soldier, and he had bad manners. He talked so much that no one else had time to say anything. "So then, Ivory turns to the commander and says, 'Well, my father says that you don't have to do that before you scout'." Arden and Ivory started laughing at his story. Jareth just brooded; Asher just spaced out, and I pretended to push my food around. It was boring and a little bit nauseating to listen to him regale every detail of their childhood. The way he grinned at her made me want to puke. It was like she was a piece of meat or something.

Suddenly, Asher came out of his stupor and cut Arden off. "Arden, whatever happened to that woman you were betrothed to?"

Ivory's face paled. "Asher, can I speak with you outside?" She asked. He just raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't move. "Now!" She demanded. Again, when Asher didn't move, Ivory quickly stood up from the table. She stomped over to Asher and practically dragged him out of the room. It left me and Jareth alone with Arden. It was a long pause and an awkward silence before I got an idea.

"So, Arden, when are you going back to Chaldea?"

"No, I was rather thinking that I would stay here with Ivory."

"Yeah, well, I mean since she belongs to the king."

"To the king?" He and Jareth said simultaneously. Jareth's eyes got wide for a minute before he realized what I was doing.

"She failed to mention that, did she? Well, it would stand to reason; she's trying to keep our relationship a secret. We're waiting for a more stable time to announce it."

Arden looked surprised. "Your majesty, I would never think to take something from the king." He said with a nod of his head.

"What would you be taking from the king?" Ivory said. I winced as I heard her voice. I looked to my left and saw Ivory standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"Apparently you. Ivory, you never told me that you were affianced to the king." It was barely noticeable, but Ivory sucked a breath.

"What gave you that idea?" she asked, glaring at Jareth.

"Toby, actually brought it to my attention." He replied. I didn't even look at Ivory; I just looked down at the floor. I knew that she would turn her glare on me and that I would be wishing that she would just pelt me with slugs, or something instead.

"I'm not sure what gave either of them that idea." She said, sitting down still glaring at me. "At present, I'm not courted by anyone." I didn't look up from my plate for the rest of the dinner. It was amazing that even though I was eighteen, Ivory could still make me feel like I was five. I was actually kind of grateful that Arden talked so much. Dinner ended and I tried to get out of the dining room as quickly as possible. I knew I was going to be in a lot of trouble, probably the stone moving. I left first, and tried sneaking around the castle to avoid the rooms where I knew Ivory would be.

I was hiding in the kitchen, thinking that Ivory would be more interested talking to Arden. I'd experienced many of her "punishments" over the years. My least favorite was the rock moving. She would make me move a pile of rocks back and forth, for however long she saw fit. It was worse than running the training grounds. It had to be the most pointless thing I ever had to do, kind of like algebra. Ivory knew I hated it the most because I always complained the loudest about it when I was a kid. I was looking around a corner when I felt a presence behind me. I closed my eyes and sighed. I knew who it was.

"You have some explaining to do young man." Ivory said in a low angry voice. "Library, now!" She commanded. I didn't even turn around to acknowledge the order, I just ran up the stairs. I still felt like I was seven and she was giving me orders. She made it to the library before me. When I walked into the room, she was leaning back on her desk. Her arms crossed. "So, I'm the kings?" She said. Her tone was even, but I kind of wished that she would yell. Sarah always yelled, but not Ivory. It was unnerving to see her standing there speaking so evenly.

"I don't like Arden, Ivory. And Jareth went along with it."

"That may be so, Toby, but I'm very surprised that you would make up such a wild story. Since Sarah is not here, Toby, and you are my page, you are in my care. I'm debating on how I should punish you for telling a lie."

"Aw, com'on Ivory—" I about whined, but her stern look silenced me immediately. "Look, High General, Arden is not to be trusted. I get bad vibes from him. And you're not addressing the fact that Jareth went along with it."

Ivory relaxed slightly and glance down. "Very well then Toby, if you can bring me some evidence that Arden is not to be trusted. To speak candidly, Toby, Arden has brought back a part of my life that I haven't been able to visit in centuries. He was an integral part of my childhood happiness, a highlight of my youth, so you'll forgive me if I'm not interested in letting it go."

I nodded slightly. "So what's my punishment?"

"I'm going to let this go this one time, Toby. Lie again and you'll be moving rocks until you're thirty." She snapped. "You're dismissed." I bowed again and left the room. I passed Jareth as I went out.

"You're going to be in trouble, Goblin King. She's not happy." I warned Jareth as he was about to go into the study. He stopped short of the door and looked at me with a face. He didn't like Ivory's bad moods any more than I did.

Ivory was generous enough to let me off the hook this time, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to find some reason for Arden to get out of all of our lives. I knew Jareth was trying as well.

It was almost two months of watching Ivory and her childhood beau amble around the labyrinth nauseating everyone that they came across. I did see a lot of changes in the way Ivory was training. Whenever things would change, and I'd ask Ivory about it, Arden would answer, "It's the latest rage in Chaldea, and your soldiers aren't disciplined enough."

I always wanted to smart off to him, but his rank carried over from Chaldea. I couldn't say anything, but I knew for a fact that our troops were just fine. It hadn't been that long since the major invasion. I just waited for my opportunity to come.

I was running errands for Ivory, when Arden called me into his tent. "Boy," he said handing me a letter. "Get this letter mailed out to Chaldea immediately." He didn't even look up at me, just barked out an order. I'd already sent out the post for the day, and this would mean another trip to the front of the Labyrinth. That meant another hour and a half tacked onto my day. I snapped the letter out of his hand and stomped out of the tent.

"Stupid idiot, I'm not his page boy." I muttered as I looked at the letter in my hands. I turned it over in my hands and read the address. It was to a personal residence in Chaldea. I flipped back to the seal, and realized it wasn't sealed properly and was already gaping open. I knew I should turn around and take it back to Arden to seal, but I saw the greeting on the letter.

"_My dearest wife_," my breath caught in my throat. I just pulled the letter open and read it. "_My business in the Labyrinth detains me a little longer. I'm forced to deal with a childhood nuisance. She's really quite obnoxious, but I will be detained a little longer. I cannot wait to return to you and our children._" I didn't read the rest of the letter. I stood in the middle of the field a little longer, before running back towards the castle. I had to show the letter to Jareth. I didn't know what to do. Do I show Ivory, or do I just let this go?

I got to the castle, then I thought better of showing Jareth. He might go off the deep end and bog Arden—not that I minded that idea to much. Fortunately, I met Asher before I got to Jareth.

"I thought as much," he said after he finished reading the letter. "I knew that Arden was betrothed, and had been since birth. He left Ivory in the dust for this girl. She was wretchedly ugly as well."

"Do you think I should show it to Ivory?" I asked him. "I don't want her to get hurt."

"Boy, she's going to get hurt either way. She will find out; she's not a simpleton." He replied handing the letter back to me. "If you would like, I'll go with you when you tell her."

I sighed and looked at the letter again. "No, I'll tell her by myself. Look Asher, I think she would want you to keep this under your hat. You know how Ivory values her pride." I said to him. He just nodded in response.

It took me two full days to build up the courage to tell her. When I walked into Ivory's tent, Arden was sitting there. I almost walked out, but Ivory stopped me.

"Toby, do you need something?"

I sighed and just stepped forward. "Well, High General, I have something to discuss with you, in private."

Ivory was about to dismiss Arden, but he cut her off. "Nonsense, boy, whatever you have to say can be said in front of me." I stared at him for a moment, and then glanced at Ivory who just gave a slight nod of her head. I reached into my coat pocket and handed her the letter. I saw Arden's eyes get wide.

Ivory looked at the letter apprehensively. She glanced over it quickly before she said, "You're dismissed Toby." I looked at Arden and then left immediately.

It was two hours before Ivory sent for me again. I went to her quickly using a crystal so I didn't waste any time. When I entered her tent, she was sitting on her cot. Her coat was undone, and she was leaning her head in her hand.

"High General—"

"No, Toby, don't. I know I was wrong. I thank you for telling me so I didn't make a fool of myself in front of the whole of Chaldea. News would have travelled fast."

"Did you send him away?" I asked. She nodded slightly. "I'm sorry."

"No, Toby, don't be. Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it. Apparently, I was doomed to repeat it. When we were young, not much older than you are now, we were still considered children. He courted me profusely before it became time for him to marry me. Suddenly, a betrothal appeared which is something you know from birth. I suppose I was trying to have a second chance at it I suppose. But childhood does its best job in the past."

"Ivory," we both turned around to see Jareth. "I heard that Arden left. Is all well?" He asked her. She sighed and nodded.

"I'll leave you now, High General, there are still some chores that I have to do." Again, Ivory just nodded and left the tent. I hoped that Ivory got her childhood fairy tale, but not with Arden. I could think of a certain king who should be good for the job.

FIN

So, the reason I dedicated this story to my boyfriend is because he would never do anything like this too. He's a close to perfect as you get. anyway, so read and review and a just so you all know I have a poll going on for a while. And to my faithful review Zeta, thanks so much! You all show be like her and review, review, review! Lol happy reading


	18. Obsession Theme 71

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 71: Obsession (September 25, 2011) dedicated to those things or people we just never can give up on

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth, if I did, I would be rolling in the piles of money I'd be making. I make no profit from this, again if I did, please see the prior statement. What's really not fair is that make no profit from the characters I do own. See Sarah, that's something to complain about, having the Goblin King come to you when you call him is not. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading. AND REVIEW PEOPLE! I can tell how many hits I get, please review I'm begging you!

I know it is a doomed idea. Something that I shall never attain—yet, here I am. I am reaching for the stars, the one's I promised to move, but never reaching anything. In fact, I fall so short of those elusive glimmering lights that I have no recourse but to merely dream of reaching them. Almost like a child, with out-stretched arms waiting for the hug they'll never receive. It's disgusting really. I know it, yet it's not something that I shall put away. I am the thing that is put away. Forever forgotten on a distant shelf in a momentary lapse between waking and sleeping. She will never come back to this memory. She will never take it out and admire it fondly. Like a long forgotten dream, that she would almost wish she could remember, but never does. She won't even know that she would need to miss it.

Whenever she hears the distant call of an owl, it will stir that memory, but it will immediately be pushed aside with thoughts of other boys. Those who will get to know the joy of her first love, her first kiss, her first anything in the wide world. She will never give any thought to me. Yet, she will be my every thought—every mortal and immortal thought. She crowds every part of my mind; I can have no other thoughts but her. The way the light would play on her hair, and the fire in her green eyes. She's grown older, and the girlish youth has passed on. I remain unchanging, forever locked in this state. It's a constant upheaval like a ship in an everlasting tempest. I can never find refuge from her.

It nauseates me to think that the image of a mere mortal girl, who in forty more years will pass away into nothing, besets my senses so badly. I will remain here in this world, pining over the loss of her even after I can have her no more. Forever dancing with this thought of what she denied me, and forever banned me. Perhaps, I can try to release myself from her hold, but like air, I cannot do without it. Watching from afar, I wait for those moments where the dance becomes real again. I find myself waiting for that whisper of a thought in the back of her mind and jump, like a dog through a hoop, at the chance to push myself forward. She looks at me with those sleepy eyes filled with half memory, and immediately forgets. Perhaps, I can resign myself to these moments to satisfy the empty feeling. I jest with myself, I know this much. I will never be satisfied with half memories of something that never will happen. I cannot let go, nor can I move forward. I know that I will be at her beck and call should she ever desire me again. The desire for her monopolizes every action—every thought—that I take. Putting all else aside, I will wait for her to remember me, knowing it will only lead to more heartache. I have resigned to the ridiculousness of myself. I am obsessed, and will never be able to put that obsession aside.

This was actually written on a Blue October song high. I'd been having writer's block for a while and then this came out. Now, this correlates with a lot of things that were going on in my life at the moment, but I didn't know they were going to end the way they did. You kind of create these things in your mind and can't let them go.

Ok so by way of bribery, who would be interested in a tidbit of a real story that I'm writing for Labyrinth? All you have to do is review and I'll send you the tidbit or post it here in the themes.


	19. Kick in the head Theme 58

Labyrinth 100 Theme Challenge

Theme 58: Kick in the Head (October 31, 2010)-dedicated to Alex…

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth… if I did, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction I'd be rolling in the millions I made… I am not making any profit on this; if I were, please see previous statement. The characters you don't recognize are mine, and I don't even make any money off them. I should, but I don't. So either way, I have no money.

Ivory stalked around the perimeter of the training grounds. She was more frustrated than she cared to let on to anyone. Wrath radiated from her, and everyone around the camps felt it. The soldiers moved out of her way. She pulled her boots off and the outer layer of armor. Ivory powdered and wrapped her hands, and swung into the sparring ring. The soldiers cleared the ring in fear of becoming the object of her temper.

She had been sparring with the dummy for a few hours and still felt frustrated. She couldn't understand why he would still want that spoiled little mortal. That wretched little mortal had turned him down, and he still pined over her. Jareth had turned the entire kingdom completely upside down, and she still turned him down—that wretched, disgusting, puny little mortal girl. He bore the shame of the realm and she didn't care. Ivory landed a blow on the body of a dummy. Feeling that it did not affect the mannequin enough, she landed several more angry blows to the stomach. She backed up and threw all of her strength into a punch towards the head. The mannequin's head flew off with the last blow. Ivory stared at it, not quite sure how she felt at that point.

"My, my, my we're a bit cagey aren't we Colonel?" A clipped voice purred from the side of the arena. Ivory tensed immediately.

"Hardly, majesty. Just doing a little bit of a light calisthenics." She replied standing straight and giving him a bow.

"If your light calisthenics involve dismembering and maiming a dummy, Colonel, I would really rather hate to see your actual battle techniques." He laughed. "Would you care for a live partner?"

"Highness, I do not know that that would be wise." Ivory replied.

"Please Colonel, do you think me incapable of holding my own against you?"

"No Majesty, I just do not think it—"

"Truth be told, Colonel, I'm feeling a bit caged myself." He wrapped and powdered his hands and swung into the ring as well. "I think a little exertion would soothe my spirits."

"Very well then, Highness. Whenever you are ready." She bowed her head and waited for him to get completely ready.

"Do you always fight bare foot?" He asked, looking down at his own boots. She shrugged.

"I spar in bare feet to be lighter." She replied with a shrug. Jareth nodded, removed his boots and then wrapped his feet. They squared off and began. Ivory held back at first and only landed a few blows. Jareth sensed her restraint and urged her to fight.

"Please Colonel, any damage you may think you're doing, I assure you I want to feel the full brunt of it." He chuckled.

Ivory tilted her head down and nodded. "Very well sire." She replied. With a loud battle cry, Ivory rushed him, landing several blows. Her sudden onslaught surprised him and he lost his balance. She backed him against the ring. He quickly regained his senses and started fighting back.

The violence seemed to allow some release. Perhaps, it was because she was taking out her anger on the object. His stupidity left him vulnerable, which weakened her entire position in the kingdom. Or at least that's what she kept telling herself. Ivory knew that there were underlying reasons, but those she wouldn't even admit to her inner self, let alone out loud. Ivory came out of her thoughts and realized that Jareth almost had her down. Instantly becoming much more battle aware, Ivory allowed herself to go down on her back. As she went down, Ivory brought her heel up and landed it on the side of his head. Jareth went down next to her. Ivory laid there before she looked at him.

"It isn't fair is it?" He asked her.

Ivory immediately knew what he was referring to—the mortal. "No, sire, it isn't." Ivory sat up. "But things rarely are, as I learned long ago." She stood and offered him her hand. Jareth snorted and took it.

"I'm supposing you're right, Colonel—Ivory." He sighed and walked back to his boots. "Perhaps, we can both be cagey together. I could use a solid person, and judging by the strength of your right heel landing against my temple, I'd say that you are quiet solid." He smiled at her.


	20. Out Cold Theme 86

100 Theme Challenge  
Theme 86: Out Cold. Dedicated to Alex.

Disclaimer: Actually, save for the setting, this is one of the rare occasions where the characters are somewhat mine. If there are any characters that I don't own, please realize that I, in no way, make any funds from these little dribbles of insanity. Personally, I'd be rolling in dough if people would pay to read my insanity.

I walked the perimeter of the room soundlessly; absently listening to statuesque women gossip behind their fans about affairs and intrigues. If they felt I stayed too long they would look at me coldly until I passed. I knew for a fact that they all questioned the validity of my presence at the winter solstice ball, but I was solely there as a security detail. I took no pleasure in the ball, and even less in its attendees. The Gobls kingdom was hosting it that year, and as I was part of the royal guard, I had to attend.

The Goblin sovereigns invited the social elite from all over the Underground. Like most societies that thought that they were superior to everyone, these beings had demeanors like the icy snow. They all pretended to be kind, but anyone could plainly see the frozen disgust that they held for each other. I hated these gatherings. They always made me sick for my homeland, Chaldea.

In Chaldea, the parties were never balls. Everyone greeted each other warmly, and regaled each other of old war stories. I glanced around at the men and women mingling in their reserved manner. Suddenly, the room felt extremely oppressive. I had to get away. I grabbed my coat and slipped out on the nearest veranda.

It was snowing outside. I welcomed the cool chill of the frosty air as my face had suddenly become warm. I leaned against the railing and took a deep breath. I could hear the faint music from the ball, but at least the world outside was peaceful. I watched the snow fall, as I huddled into the fur lining of my jacket. It always amused me that when I was around others I longed for Chaldea. I'd lived for centuries in the Labyrinth in complete solitude and rarely felt any pangs of homesickness. Now that I'd come into society, especially this portion of it, I felt it constantly. I was so out of the ordinary to them. Feeling a little more homesick than utterly necessary, I turned my thoughts to the Labyrinth. It was a majestic place, especially covered in the shimmering snow. It was very peaceful. I enjoyed the silence for a few more moments before a voice interrupted my reverie.

"Rather cold out here for someone from your climate, isn't it Colonel?" A voice called out to me. I sighed and bowed my head—all peaceful feelings gone.

"A bit brisk perhaps, but I've lived through enough winters." I replied looking to my left. I could see the dark silhouette of Prince Seth. I never cared for the little princeling, so I tried to seem as uninterested as possible. Seth was Jareth's younger brother, and very much a spoiled rebel. He stepped into the light that filtered through the glass door. He was dressed entirely in black. His jacket was long in the back, but the front cut off at his rib cage. Malachite studs coated it heavily causing it to shine. His jet black hair was slicked back into a pony tail and had a little volume at the top. He leaned forward on his cane.

"You're not remarkably friendly", He said smirking, showing his sharp canines. I regarded him for a moment as I thought of a response. His blue eyes were heavily lined in black.

"I know my place, Prince." I replied. He arched an eyebrow, and leaned forward.

"Are you suggesting that I don't?"

I tried to not seem too aggravated. "Not at all, Sire. I just prefer to not be anyone's favorite."

He leaned back and seemed to consider my response for a moment. "There's a more enjoyable party in the forest." As he spoke, Seth moved lithely until he stood next to me leaning backwards on the railing. "Why don't you come with me?"

"I am on duty, Sire. I cannot." I replied.

"Well then, come and guard me." He retorted. I hesitated. Something about his demeanor grated on my nerves. "Perhaps a direct order would incite you to action." He continued to stare at me intently. I still hesitated and tried to hide my annoyance. He smirked at me, knowing I couldn't say "no."

I bristled slightly and huddled deeper into my coat. I didn't relish the thought of babysitting the spoiled princeling for an entire night.

"Well Colonel?" He said expectantly.

I gave a curt bow of my head. "Lead the way, my liege." A sadistic sort of childish glee crossed his face as he started down the garden path towards the forest. With a heavy and grudging sigh, I followed him.

It only took a few moments to leave the safety of the garden and enter the forest. It seemed that the light snow that surrounded the castle was a raging downfall in the forest. The deeper we got, the heavier it became. Seth moved swiftly down alleys and maneuvered between trees. I struggled to keep up with him. It was almost as if the entity of the Labyrinth was holding me back. Navigation was never this incomprehensible to me. I was a part of the Labyrinth, and as such, I knew every path to get where I wanted.

Seth was moving nimbly through the branches, but the forest itself seemed to be closing in on me. Branches caught my hair and pulled it out of its tight braid. I had to ignore it. The snow storm became more violent, obscuring my view. At some point, I completely lost sight of him. I just pressed forward until I found myself standing in a clearing.

The singing and playing stopped as I stumbled in, and everyone stared at me for a few minutes. There was an amalgamation of beasties and creatures. They laughed boisterously and returned to their wild dancing around a large bonfire. I straightened myself, and went to find the prince.

Eventually, I found him. He was standing between two scantily clad women which were clinging to him tightly. One was kissing his neck, and the other played with his hair. "Colonel," he said with an air of mock delight. I barely nodded my head at him. He removed his hand from one of the women's hair, and reached out for me. I jerked back from him.

He stopped for a moment before rushing forward and grabbing my red forelock of hair. My entire body visibly tensed. "My, my Colonel, your demeanor is as frigid as the winter snow." He said leaning forward. I stepped back again. His hand stayed lodged in my hair.

"You'll forgive my demeanor then, Majesty. I must keep my wits about me."

"And if I don't?" He asked, stroking my hair.

I'd grown weary of playing his games. "I'm afraid there's not much I can do about that." I replied. Seth smirked and finally relinquished my hair.

"What would warm that untouchable heart of yours? Hmm?" He asked.

I stepped back. "Nothing."

"Perhaps a night with Jareth might warm your bones." He said chuckling. I kept my face stony and hoped a blush didn't betray me. I did find the crown prince very handsome, but would never presume. I'm fairly sure that Seth took my lack of response as affirmation. He laughed wickedly and returned to his women.

I walked a short distance away and watched the party. Alone again, I contemplated the numerous differences between the classes. The social elite were cold and unfriendly, while the commoners had a disgusting drunkenness induced camaraderie. Watching them caused another wave of homesickness to pass over me. Chaldeans celebrated the winter solstice as well, but our gatherings were held in tents, drinking was generally minimal and our behavior was far more genteel. We had rules and ranks to stay in. Here there was a mish mash of revelers attending the party, and all of them were wretchedly drunk.

No one really bothered me that evening as I sat watching the prince. They mostly cajoled amongst themselves, not that I complained. I was more than thrilled to be a spectator. I was merely there to keep a watchful eye on the princeling as he danced from woman to woman. Finally, he stumbled towards me completely drunk. He plopped down next to me.

"Dance with me Colonel." He said. I just ignored him. He leaned a little closer and clumsily whispered, "Ever cold, Colonel, ever cold. You should really join me in a dance. It's really quite invigorating."

"I'm not inclined to dance, Sire." I replied snidely.

"I know what you're inclined to do." He said with a sly smile. He grabbed my hand, and in a gesture that would have been romantic if he wasn't so drunk. Seth pulled me to my feet. "Follow me!" he yelled. The prince gripped my arm tightly as he dragged me into the surrounding forest. We stopped in a clearing a few feet away from the party. He still maintained a death grip on my wrist.

"You know Colonel, you and I aren't very different." He tried pulling me closer. My instinctual reaction was to jerk away, but he leaned into my backward motion and let our momentum slam us into a tree. Seconds after making contact with the tree, the prince's body slammed into mine, knocking the wind out of me. He just laughed. "We're inescapably similar, Colonel. You cannot deny it." He tried to tenderly move a piece of my hair out of my face. "We're both outcasts longing to belong somewhere." I jerked away, but in his present state, Seth was able to stay me.

"You're drunk." I snapped.

"You cannot fight this animal attraction between us Colonel—Ivory." He caressed the side of my face. I turned my face away from him. The caress quickly turned into a bone crushing vice. I thought that he was going to wrench off my jaw.

I moved to knee him, but was barely able to refrain from acting. His rank prevented me. He could see my desire to take action, and gave a deep throaty laugh.

"Ah, I see there is a difference between us. Even if you wanted to, you can't hurt me, and I can do whatever I please to you." With his free hand he trailed a finger down my chin to my throat, stopping at my collar bone.

I'd had entirely enough. Bracing myself against the tree, and using all of my force, I pushed him backwards. He fell back laughing in his stupor. "There are many differences between us." I said, reaching into my boot for my knife. "One of them being, I can incapacitate someone without leaving a visible mark." I used the hilt of my knife and hit him in the back of the head. He grunted as he fell back in the snow. I hit him once more in the head to render him unconscious. I chuckled at his prone form, putting my knife away. Slowly, I walked away. I left him out cold in the snow.


	21. Deep in Thought theme 52

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 52: Deep in Thought. Dedicated to Becca.

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda legal jargon, blah blah blah, lawyer talk, ramble ramble ramble, basically I don't own anything that belongs to rich people who aren't me. Blah blah blah, I'm poor, and make no money…. Yadda yadda yadda

I walked down the long hallway towards High General Ivory's study. My tennis shoes squeaked on the floor. Jareth had said that I should dress like a young boy of the court, but Sarah didn't make me. Besides, I thought most of the other boys my age looked like girls. I didn't want to look like a girl. Jareth sometimes acted all embarrassed by it, but Ivory said that she thought it gave me a distinction from the other little boys.

I liked Ivory. She was real cool and stuff. She always let me hang out in her office when she wasn't doing anything important. The only thing I didn't like about her was that she didn't like my sister, Sarah. I couldn't figure why either. Sarah was really cool too. They were both so cool that they should have been best friends, but girls are weird—especially the big ones.

So, I wanted my sister and Ivory to be friends so badly that I spent all morning long trying to figure out why Ivory didn't like Sarah. I asked Sarah if she liked Ivory, and Sarah just shrugged and said that Ivory didn't really pay much attention to her, but she like her ok. So after I spent all morning thinking things out, I figured it out. Ivory had a crush on Jareth.

It wasn't like it was a big secret that Jareth liked Sarah. He was always making funny eyes at her. Sarah didn't like him none. She just liked him as a friend. Ivory made funny eyes at Jareth too. She never made a big deal about it, since she wasn't all girly. But that had to be it. She was jealous of Sarah. I'd made up my mind that I was going to confront her about it.

I squeaked a little bit louder when I passed Jareth's study. I came to the little goblin about three feet taller than me that guarded Ivory's door. She called him Porter, but his name was really Sengus.

"Hiya Sengus!" I yelled. He didn't hear that good.

"Holo! Whadya want?"

"Is Ivory in?"

"Aye." We stood there for a minute. He didn't say anything else. I stuck my hands in my pocket and waited, but nothing happened. Sengus was stupid.

"Well, can I see her?" I asked.

"See who?"

"Ivory."

I hated going through this. Ivory told me I always had to wait for the porter to open the door. I walked in one time without asking. She was having an important meeting with some other generals. Sarah grounded me for a whole month for that. I didn't think it was very fair.

"What about her?"

"Can I see High General Ivory, Sengus?" I yelled. Jareth poked his head out. He gave me a weird look. He said it wasn't right that boys of the court run around in the High General's office. I told him Ivory said I could. He didn't argue. He never argued with her.

"Yup." He finally opened the door.

Ivory's office was the second coolest place in the palace. The first was the training grounds. Her desk was at the end of the office. She was sitting there writing papers. I didn't know how she could write so much. I hated writing letters. But everyone, even Sarah, told me I had to learn if I was going to live in the Underground. It was so stupid.

I looked to the left of me at the huge table. It had Ivory's battle plans on it. She had everything in the Underground mapped out. I usually liked to come in and look at everything. Sometimes she told me I could map out my own battles, but I couldn't do it today. I had deep important questions to ask.

I walked up to Ivory's desk and just stood there. She didn't look up. I knew she heard me. Ivory always knew when I came in. She had like a super power. I just waited for her to say something, but she never did. I tried to be patient, but I didn't want to wait any more.

"Why don't you like Sarah?" I asked. I knew the answer, but I wanted to see what she said first.

Ivory looked up at me and raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked.

"You don't like Sarah. Why?"

"Who says I don't like Sarah?" She asked, putting her pen down.

"No one."

"Don't be so presumptuous Young Master Toby. It's not very good of you." She replied going back to writing. I made a face. I hated it when she called me "Young Mater Toby."

I walked over to her big table and picked up one of the dragon figurines. "I thought about it and I know why." I said looking at her again.

"Why is that?" She asked, not paying attention to me. I could always tell when she was really paying attention.

I knew I had to be cool about this. I wanted to make it seem like it was—non-challente—I think that was the word that Sarah used about Jareth. "Because you like Jareth." I didn't look at her to see what she was going to do.

She snorted. "Of course I like Jareth, Toby. He's my king."

"Not like that. You 'like' like him." I said.

"I haven't the pleasure of knowing your meaning." Ivory smirked at me.

"Yes, you do. You just don't wanna say. You don't like Sarah, because Jareth has a crush on her, and you want Jareth to be your boyfriend."

"My boyfriend? Toby, I did not grow up in the Above. What do you mean 'my boyfriend'?"

"You wanna date him, so you can marry him."

"That's absurd Toby. He's a king. King's don't marry their high generals." She said laughing.

"Yeah, but none of the other high generals were girls." I crossed my arms and looked at her hard.

"Still, Toby, the king loves your sister, there's nothing to be done about that." She stopped. I think Ivory was going to say something important, but she didn't want me to know that I was right. That's how she always was. I couldn't be right.

"Well, Sarah don't like him none. Sarah don't like no body." I told Ivory. I was right; she didn't. Ivory did say anything.

"It's no matter who she does or doesn't like. Sarah and I aren't very much alike."

"That's no excuse. You and Sarah aren't like anybody here." I replied throwing my hands up. "You should be best friends. I don't think that Jareth's that great anyway."

"What is it that you would like me to do then Toby?" She asked.

"Be Sarah's friend. She's really lonely down here. She doesn't like to do kid stuff and I don't like to do grown up girl stuff, but you can do that stuff with her." I said. Then I leaned on her desk. "And I want you to admit that you 'like' like Jareth."

"I'll see what I can do about the first, and of course I like him Toby. He's my king."

"That's not what I mean. You do everything he says, and you stare at him funny."

"I have to do everything he says Toby; I'm his subject. And I wasn't aware that I stared at him funny. It's probably because I used to be his personal guard and take a lot of care about his personal being."

I sighed. "Fine, be that way." I said.

"I will, because it's the only way I can be." She replied.

I walked towards the door. I had a few minutes to think since her study was so long. I got to the door and stopped. I turned around and ran back to her desk.

"Ivory," I said. She looked up at me.

"Yes Toby?"

"I just thought of something."

"What?"

"You never said that you didn't like Jareth and want to marry him." She stood to her feet.

"Toby!" She yelled. I ran back to the door as fast as I could. I knew Ivory wouldn't really let that slide, and I didn't want to stick around to find out what she'd do.

Author's Notes: So yeah, here you go next challenge. As always thanks so ever much to Zeta Sigma, my faithful reviewer. I'm glad at least someone in the world is enjoying this. I decided to go a loose route for this one and do something light. Toby's about eight in this one. He's been considering for a long time why Ivory and his sister don't get along. Out of the mouth of babes and all.


	22. Forgien Theme 27

100 Theme Challenge

Theme Twenty-Seven: Foreign. Dedicated to Kerri

Disclaimer: Actually, save for the setting, this is one of the rare occasions where the characters are somewhat mine. If there are any characters that I don't own, please realize that I, in no way, make any funds from these little dribbles of insanity. Personally, I'd be rolling in dough if people would pay to read my insanity.

I was sitting very comfortably on my couch, with my cat in my lap, completely engrossed in reading a book. From the corner, I saw a flash of glitter spray everywhere. I ignored it for a moment. Suddenly, I got that terrible sensation that I wasn't alone in my little apartment.

I put down my book, and got my cat off my lap. I went to the front door and checked it. It was still locked. I grabbed my Taser out of my purse and went to investigate. I went into the kitchen, and there was no one there. I pushed the bathroom door open, it was empty. I went into the bedroom. There was nothing in the house. This was strange. I looked at my cat and sighed. "Maybe we're crazy."

He just looked at me like he was saying, "Yeah right, you're the crazy one lady. Now feed me." I turned around and my body came flat into contact into another. My Taser, which was still on, connected with the person's body. He yelled and I screamed as loudly as I could. I jumped back, dropping the Taser. I grabbed the statue on my dresser and screamed even louder. The man, who was still recovering, staggered forward. Instinctively, I cracked the statue over his head. He fell forward, and I jumped out of the way.

I stood there hyperventilating, still screaming in little half breathes. Then I realized what I did. "Oh—ooooh—holy—oooh man." I jumped around. "What am I gonnna do? What—this—wow!" I yelled. I started rubbing my forehead. The man lying face down on my bed started groaning. I still had my statue in my hand, so I did what any frightened girl would do. I cracked it over his head—again. He went completely limp.

Suddenly, I felt a panic attack coming on. My chest started hurting and my arms got numb. My face became insanely hot. I thought that at any moment I was going to pass out. Gasping for breath I turned to my dresser and came face to face with a large scroll lay open. Waving off the panic attack as much as I could, I tried to read the scroll.

_Thou, who are reading this, art the keeper of this Goblin King. Verily, he failed to do that in which he was commanded, and is condemned to spend one human fortnight among thy kind. We, of the chiefs in our land hath deemed this his wage of punishment. _

_-The Chiefs of the Fey Courts_

I covered my hand with my face. That note did nothing to help my panic attack. The pain in the right side of my chest started throbbing even more. "What do they mean Goblin King?" He was just a fantasy. Something from a movie I adored from my childhood up. (Something I secretly watched when I was feeling bad, and lamely wrote fan-fiction for.) This had to be some sick joke. My friends were pulling some sick joke on me. The guy probably climbed in through my window—never mind I lived on the second floor and my window was shut.

"Ha, ha, guys very funny. If I killed your fake actor, you're going to prison." I yelled. It wasn't like anyone could hear me though. I was completely alone in my little one bedroom apartment, the unconscious man of the floor aside, of course.

I sat down on the bed and tried to logic things out for a minute. How exactly would someone climb into my window, which was closed? I looked at the man still face down on my bed, and poked him. He didn't stir, so I flipped him over.

"You're an idiot." I said to him. I started looking at his clothes. "Wow, these seem really authentic." I touched the leather jerkin timidly. "Man, this feels like real leather."

The guy was covered in glitter, (as was my bedroom, I suddenly noticed) on top of everything else. "Wow they really went all out." I muttered. Looking at my walls which were now plastered with iridescent glitter, I continued that thought. "I hope they know that they're cleaning this mess up."

I went into my kitchen and got a cup of water. Then I went back into my bedroom. I picked up my Taser (just in case). Carefully, I sloshed the water onto my intruder. He woke up sputtering and cursing.

"What in Odin's name was that for?" He demanded angrily.

"Ok, so the jokes up, you can go home now."

"No, I cannot."

"All right, fine, then. Who are you?" I asked him still holding my Taser out defensively.

"You mean you do not know?" He asked highly. He drew himself up to his full height, which with his wet hair plastered to his face, looked more comical than intimidating.

"Well, as far as I can see you're some loco en la cabeza off the street who got glitter all over my apartment." I replied.

"Young woman, I am not a—loco in la cabessa, I am the Goblin King." He said. I gave him a skeptical look.

"Really?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, I am the Goblin King." He repeated. I snorted.

"And I'm the Easter bunny."

"Hardly, however I am the Goblin King." Then to prove his statement to me, the man conjured a bubble like crystal on the tips of his fingers and gave a slight bow.

I felt my face wrinkle. I kind of felt like a computer that was given an error. This did not compute. "Really?"

"Yes?"

"Really?" I repeated.

"I have already answered you yes." I considered over this again. Maybe I had lost my mind. I looked down into my cup that still held some water. I did the only logical thing my brain could manage to message to my body to do. I threw the rest of the water, and the cup at him and ran out of my room. I jerked the door shut and ran into the bathroom. I slammed that door shut and braced myself against it.

I could feel another panic attack coming on. "Oh, dear, oh—wow—I've lost my mind. I've completely lost it." I muttered to myself.

Then I heard my cat scream. The "Goblin King" or whatever yelled something I didn't understand. There was a loud thump and more yelling. My cat gave another cry and a hiss.

"Augh! My face!" The Goblin king yelled. "Why you mange little—"

Emboldened by the maternal instinct I felt for my little baby, I threw the door open. In two steps I was in the dining area, scooping my poor little Pumpkin in my arms. "Don't you dare!" I yelled. "I'll kick you." I poised my foot. The Goblin King sat up a little and glared at my cat.

"Prithee, woman, art thou mad?"

"No, but I am furious. You've had your fun. Now, get out."

He sighed. "As I have told thee before, I am not able to. I have been presently banished from my kingdom." He said.

I cradled my cat a little bit closer and gave him a pointed look. "Well, assuming that I believe this and decide that you're not some loony tune escaped from the loony bin, what am I supposed to do with you?"

"You are supposed to be my servant for the next fortnight during my stay in the Aboveground." He replied straightening his jerkin. As if to help me with my decision, the "Goblin King" conjured another crystal. He rolled it expertly across his hands, and then tossed it to me. I fumbled to catch it.

"What's this?" I asked.

"A crystal, nothing more, but if you turn it—

"If I turn it this way it will show me my dreams? Yeah, yeah, I saw the movie too. You'll have to do better than that with me." I told him. He looked at me.

"Very well then," he said; he motioned me to the bedroom. I raised an eyebrow and hesitated. "I am not going to hurt you woman." He snapped. I followed him warily into my bedroom. He walked to my full length mirror and waved his hand across it. I felt like someone had taken a screen shot from the movie and taped it my mirror. I was looking at the Labyrinth from the top of the wind swept hill. I touched my mirror, and when my hand pierced through, I screamed as loudly as I could.

I rubbed my temples. I was trying to ward off yet another panic attack. These things were getting more and more intense as the hour went on. The next thing I knew, I would be suffering from a heart attack. "Ok, well, oh wow—" I leaned against my bed.

After I regained what little was left of my sanity, I walked out to my living room. "All right your majesty, follow me." I motioned him. Jareth smirked at me and followed me. "You sit there, and watch the television. I need to make a phone call."

The goblin king sat down on the couch. I went into my kitchen and pulled out my cell phone. "Alex, I have a huge problem."

"What is it?" Alex replied.

I thought of the most tactful way to say this without sounding insane. There wasn't one. "I have the Goblin King sitting on my couch watching TV."

"Very funny." He laughed.

"I'm not joking. You need to come over here before I have a panic attack."

"I'll be there in twenty."

"Ok, bye." I hung up the phone quickly and stared at the Goblin King. He was sitting regally on my couch staring at my TV. The screen wasn't on though. "What are you doing?" I snapped at him.

"I'm watching the television, though I have no understanding of why thou wouldst that I watch it. It does not seem to be going anywhere." He replied.

I blinked a few times and served him with an intensely quizzical stare. "What?"

He motioned at the TV. "I am watching the thing as you requested, but it does not seem dangerous or as if it were going to leave."

I put my hand in my head. "They don't have TV in the Underground do they?" I asked him.

"I know not of what you speak."

"Of course you don't." I muttered. I walked over to the TV and pressed the on switch. I'd forgot I'd left it on Nickelodeon, (hey now, don't judge, I'm really a kid at heart). We both jumped when Spongebob's obnoxious laugh filled the room.

"What is that?" the Goblin King yelled. "It is a wretched abomination!"

"Yes, I know" I snapped back quickly changing the channel. I left it on D_esigning Women_ and then I sat down. Jareth just stared at the TV screen.

"How doth thou get these people in this little box? Are you some magician?" He asked standing next to the TV and touching the screen.

I stared at the back of his fluzzy head blankly. "No."

"Then who does this magic?"

"The cable company and the electric company and apparently GE because I think they made the TV—" I stopped rambling when I realized that he was staring at me strangely.

"This really is a foreign concept to you. I figured you woulda known all about the above ground."

"Hardly, I have no purpose for such knowledge; therefore I have never learnt of it."

"Obviously," We were silent for a few minutes. He was still fascinated by the television. "All right, Jareth—"

"You may not address me as such. Thou shalt address me as either your highness, or majesty, or my lord, but thou art very beneath my station and will learn to behave as such." He thundered. All the bewilderment vanished from his face, and a stern glare replaced it.

"No," I retorted.

"No?" He replied questioning my word choice.

"Nope, I'm not your servant, so I don't need to call you anything fancy."

"Were thou not taught respect?"

"Somehow I think you're putting on a big show with the speech, GK. I bet you can speak more modernly than you are, because it comes and goes." I leaned back. I wasn't about to be bossed around and grovel for some fictional character. I was only having a mental break down.

"GK?"

"Goblin King, or do you prefer your royal tightness, or how about your royal glitterness?"

He made a disgusted face. "GK will suffice presently."

"Good," I said leaning back.

He sat down across from me. "And what are you called?"

"Heather," I replied.

"Like the plant?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, like the plant, but you can call me Miss Hersmicht."

"Hersmicht?" He replied. He fumbled over the fake last name I gave him.

"Yup, Heather Hersmicht."

"That is a remarkably odd name." He said. "Are you sure it is your name?"

I leaned my head back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. "This is going to be a long two weeks," I muttered under my breath.

TBC….

So I hope you all enjoy my little deviation from the typical Labyrinth world. Yes, this is authorial insertion, but you all can get over it. :P Anyway, read and review as usual.

And Zeta Sigma, sometimes you're the only reason I keep going with this. That and my insatiable urge to completely complete something.


	23. Words Theme 80

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 80: Words—Dedicated to Jareth

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda legal jargon, blah blah blah, lawyer talk, ramble ramble ramble, basically I don't own anything that belongs to rich people who aren't me. Blah blah blah, I'm poor, and make no money…. Yadda yadda yadda

"_Say your right words," the Goblins said…._

There is power in words to be sure. I am intensely aware of this.

"General," I said looking into a crystal. General Ivory stopped all of her work and came to me instantly. It only took a word to get her to move.

Moments later Ivory stood in my doorway. She bowed and waited. I did not acknowledge her. I wanted to test her limits. I behaved as if I were engrossed in my work for some time.

"You called me, your majesty?" She asked finally.

"Yes, General, I did." I replied. I carefully dipped my quill in some ink. I scrawled my name on a treaty. We were silent. I watched her shift her weight from one hip to the other impatiently.

"Was there anything I could assist you with, your majesty?"

"Perhaps, General," I said. I glanced up at her with a stiff smile. Since the incident with Sarah, I distanced myself from most everyone. I suppose in doing that, I distanced myself from Ivory. There was a cold, halted formality between us in comparison with the easy, playful relationship we had before. I was as inscrutable to Ivory as I was to everyone else.

It felt a little better to be so distant. I answered to no one. It was almost as if Sarah had never existed. Once again, I was the cold, exacting, and cruel monarch I had always been. Perhaps it was a little too cruel of me to show this to Ivory, but I wanted her under my thumb just as much as the rest of the Labyrinth. I was the king, and my subjects would respect that.

I stared blankly at Ivory for a long while just smirking at her. I could tell she was getting flustered; she clenched her jaw, and her grip on her sword tightened slightly.

"I am always at your leisure, sire, however, if you presently have no purpose in my being here, I have—" I narrowed my eyes into slits, and lost my smirk.

"You do not give commands General; I do."

Her black gloves creaked as her grip tightened around her sword even more. "Of course, your highness, I am always at your command."

Apparently, I had pushed the good general too far. Now the fun was to begin.

"Are you being sarcastic with me, General?" I asked in a mock friendly voice.

"Am I, Sire? I meant no disrespect." She replied mimicking my mocking tone. "Perhaps, I should refrain from baiting you into a fight, Sire. You are still—"

"Your continuance among the living is very dependent on your not finishing that statement, General." My voice was low, and dangerous. I narrowed my eyes even tighter and stared at her form. Her face displayed no emotions, but her body said much more. She almost instinctively placed her fighting hand on her sword, removing the hand that had been there before.

"Your majesty," she began slowly. "I will not speak out of turn, but this is in my turn. You would do well to not threaten me. Your kingdom is spiraling out of control—"

I quickly crossed the distance between us. I was standing so close I could feel the heat emanating from her frame. If we did fight, ever, it would be fair. Ivory came nearly to my nose and had a thick, muscular physique. I glared down at her. "I am in control, General. You are my general, and you _will _carry out _my _commands wordlessly." I stated. I leaned close to her face and backed her into the door, which I closed behind her.

"Do I make myself inescapably clear, General?" I hissed. She did not flinch; she did not turn her face away or stick out her jaw. Ivory just looked at me calmly. She behaved as if this were common. Cornering Sarah had intimidated her, but Ivory would not be intimidated without a true show of power.

"There are many things that are clear to me, Sire." She replied turning away. She opened the door and started out into the hallway. I grabbed her arm tightly and jerked her back. For an instant, her eyes widened.

"I did not dismiss you, General."

"Forgive my impertinence then, Sire," she snarled. Her blue eyes narrowed at me and the strand of red hair fell into her face.

"General, I do not wish to," I paused, "punish you; however, if I do not see you respecting my commands, then I will be forced to make an example of you."

Ivory searched my face for some minutes. I was not earnest. Only a fool would make an example of his personal guard and best general. I schooled my face into a cold indifference. Her blue eyes flickered over my entire being, looking for some sign that I was not being earnest. I had complete power over myself though. She looked down and set her jaw. I had won. I was now in complete control.

Her arm tensed as she jerked away. "Very well then, Sire," she stated slowly. "I await your command." Despite the words that came out of her mouth, I could plainly see that Ivory was telling me, "You have no true power over me."

However, that seemed to be contrary to her actions. I had the power over her that I wished to execute. I also had the power over myself that stated I wished to execute my power over her. Perhaps words were not as powerful as I thought they were.

TBC….

So this is to get me in the groove of what I want Jareth to be like for my full length story, _And No Birds Sing_. Tell me if you like it or not. I kind of want him to be brooding, angry, and masculine. I sometimes feel like I make poor Jareth out to be too much of a wimp. Just for randomness, has anyone else ever noticed the girl painted gold in the ballroom scene? Just wondering. Zeta, as always, thanks for sticking with me. All you who are reading should be like her and review.

TTFN

Baby Turtle


	24. Love Theme 2

100 THEME CHALLENGE

THEME 2: LOVE—DEDICATED TO CALEB

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda legal jargon, blah blah blah, lawyer talk, ramble ramble ramble, basically I don't own anything that belongs to rich people who aren't me. Blah blah blah, I'm poor, and make no money…. Yadda yadda yadda

Sarah threw her head on her dresser chair in frustration. Her face was red and swollen from crying. James had left _again_, but this time, Sarah felt it was for good. Maybe it was good that he was gone. All they did was fight all the time. Then again, maybe Sarah would be completely alone for the rest of her life. She began sobbing again, burring her face into her arm. After crying for a little while, she wiped her tears away from her face.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. "Hoggle," she said softly. "I need you, really badly." A few minutes passed, and no one appeared. Sarah sighed. "Great, when I need a friend, of course he can't come."

"Would you be inclined to accept a replacement?" Jareth asked. Sarah sat up perfectly straight and rigid. Her green eyes went wide.

"Jareth!" She gasped.

"Yes, Precious thing, rather in the flesh." He replied. Slowly, Sarah turned around and faced her archenemy. He was tall and his winter white hair wisped about him wildly. He wore his black armor suit.

Sarah worked her mouth a few times, and then said the first thing that came to mind. "You have no power over me!"

"Really, now precious," Jareth smirked at her as he stepped forward. "That's no way to treat someone who is doing you a much needed kindness."

"Well," Sarah snorted. "You're kind of kindness I'm pretty sure I can do without. What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"You called." He replied.

"I called Hoggle."

"Hogwash is currently indisposed at the moment." Jareth smirked like the cat that ate an entire flock of canaries. Sarah wrinkled her forehead.

"Why does that not comfort me?" She asked herself. Sarah turned back around to her mirror and sighed.

"Well, precious, is there any particular thing you wanted to discuss."

"You wouldn't understand." She said, putting her head into her arms again.

"Precious, I am a great deal older than you are. There are many things I understand."

"It's a boy thing." Sarah replied.

Jareth indignantly snapped, "Am I not a 'boy'?"

Sarah looked at him from under her arm. He'd moved to sit on the bed. She could see his muscular legs under his tight pants, and smiled to herself. "It's a matter of some debate. You're shoes have heels on them." She replied snickering. It felt good to lash out a little at someone.

Jareth reclined back on the bed. "I can assure you, Precious thing, I am more a male than most females know what to do with." Sarah raised an eyebrow at him. He just smiled. Deciding that Jareth was not going to leave and feeling to depressed to argue, Sarah settled for talking to the Goblin King.

"Well that's good to know. Jareth, my fifth boyfriend this year just broke up with me."

"That was rather foolish of him." Jareth said. He'd conjured crystals into his hands and twirled them expertly across his fingers. Sarah watched him for a while. The crystals were like hypnotic swirls of light that danced around his fingers.

"I'm just sick of it. I wish there was a way I could just find Mr. Right."

"Well," Jareth said, "why did you not just say?" He said. Sarah sat up and found herself looking into Jareth's intense mismatched eyes. Suddenly, she felt like the sixteen-year-old girl who faced him in the Labyrinth instead of the twenty-six year old woman she was. She scrutinized his face. _Wow, he's gotten more handsome than I remember._ She thought.

"I'm not exactly in the habit of telling men who come into my house and steal my baby brother all my problems." She retorted.

"Precious, you wound me. I only did that at your behest."

"Well, it was still a jerk thing to do."

"Your belief in my inheriting villainy in that aside, you know wishes are my business. I can make your wish come true."

"Why should I trust you?" Sarah snapped.

"I stand nothing to gain from this Sarah. You refused my offer of love, and while it was extremely difficult, I have accepted this fact. In fact, as a show of my good faith, I have a gift for you." He tossed a crystal into the air, and when he caught it, it was a pen.

He held it out to her with a smile. Sarah stared at his hand for a long time. She couldn't decide to trust him with his gift. "What is it?" Sarah asked skeptically.

"A pen, nothing more, but write with it and it will make your wishes come true."

"All right," she said taking the pen tentatively. "What's the catch?"

"Catch, my precious Sarah, there is no _catch_. I hate to see you cry precious, and I think this could make you happy." Jareth softly brushed some of her chestnut brown hair from her eyes. His hands felt warm against her face. Sarah pulled away from him, not wanting to rebound on the Goblin King.

"All right," she said turning the pen over in her hands. It was nothing more than an ordinary fountain pen. She unscrewed the cap and looked at the nib. "How does it work?"

"You write whatever you want with it, and it will make it come true. There are two rules, however. I cannot create life, and it cannot take life."

"Crap, because I was really hoping kill Jake. I hate him." Jareth chuckled. Sarah opened a draw and pulled out a scrap sheet of paper. "I wanna test this baby out." She turned to Jareth and smiled evilly.

_Deep key cuts run down the sides of Jake's cherry red 2010 Camaro spelling "Die you stupid dip-wad!" _

Sarah held up her work, satisfied with the first attempt. She grabbed her cell phone and stared at it. Fifteen minutes later, it rang. She picked it up knowing full well who it was.

"Hello," she said innocently. Jake blasted her from the other end of the receiver. Sarah burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter as her ex-boyfriend began cursing her deeply. She hung up and continued giggling.

"Oh my word, Jareth! This is amazing." She giggled as she threw her arms around the Goblin King's neck in a hug. He put his hands at her waist and held her. She pulled away and stared at him. Feeling herself blush again, Sarah broke the hug. "So, can I create guys with this?"

"You can write the type of man you wish. A man fitting his description will come to you." Jareth replied. He lounged on the bed again. He reminded Sarah of cat, how they always acted as if they owned everything no matter where they were. He had a constantly cool demeanor that just made him seem as if he had it all figured out.

Sarah looked down at her frumpy clothes. She was wearing some sweats and a baggy t-shirt. "Oh man, I have to change. If I am going to meet someone, I need to look hot."

"You can create your clothing Sarah, simply by writing what you desire." Jareth said.

"Oh yeah," Sarah grabbed more paper from a desk draw and began writing.

_Sarah Williams is wearing a dark wash blue jean with Prada boots. She has a white shell camisole with a black real leather bolero jacket. Her hair is clean and shiny and pulled into a low ponytail and she is wearing her usual make up. _Sarah jumped to her feet and looked herself over. She looked perfect.

She sat back down and scribbled on the paper her ideal man. _He is tall, and well dressed. He knows everyone who's someone. He has a great job. He keeps himself very neat. He also keeps up with fashion and can talk with me about everything. _Just as Sarah finished putting her final period on the paper, the doorbell rang. She smiled giddily. "I wonder who that could be."

Sarah ran to the door and threw it open. A tall handsome man stood there smiling. "Well, hello," he said. "I'm Mark. My car broke down and my cell just died. I was wondering if I could use your phone to call a tow company."

"Oh, sure Mark, come on in. I'm Sarah by the way." She replied. Before she knew it, this handsome man asked her out on a date. Sarah thought she'd found the one. He was great. He always looked so nice and he could dress. He would surprise her with flowers. This went on for weeks.

The more Sarah got to know him, the more she couldn't tell his orientation though. He was really metro. At first, this didn't bother her much. She figured he was straight anyway. The thing that did bother her was his lack of commitment. Anytime, Sarah felt like they were going to get serious, Mark pulled back. Frustrated and annoyed with his constant complaining that his nails looked better than hers did, Sarah broke up with him.

She was back in her room trying to think of what she wanted her next boyfriend to be like when Jareth appeared. "How are things with Mark?" he asked after the pleasantries.

"I dumped him."

"Really," Jareth replied pensively. "I thought he was 'the one'."

"He was less of the one than I thought. He was way to metro, and wouldn't commit." She replied. In the predeceasing weeks, Sarah had become accustomed to the Goblin King's random visits. He was actually a great conversationalist. It didn't hurt that he was gorgeous to look at. Sometimes Sarah found herself thinking about him more than she did Mark. Jareth was always quick to help her with whatever she needed.

Maybe that's what she wanted, a man who would treat her like a queen and do every nice thing for her. _Sarah William's new boyfriend is a nice guy. He holds the door open and calls me just to tell me he's thinking about me. He pays attention to me constantly and I don't have to worry about him ignoring me. _

Just like the last time, Sarah met a great man named Jeff. He was everything she wanted. He paid attention to her. Anything she wanted, she got. It did frustrate her when he would just agree with everything. Also, he was always there. The next week her she had a fight with Jareth. He was being contrary and just annoying her. As suddenly as she started dating Jeff, Sarah broke up with him. He was just too nice.

Sarah was lying on her bed watching TV. She grabbed another pillow to put behind her head. As she moved the pillow near her head, Sarah caught a whiff of Jareth. She inhaled his earthy scent deeply and smiled. She had kind of missed him lately. A month had passed since their blow out. He wouldn't answer her calls, and hadn't come to see her.

She was taking a break in between boyfriends, and was incredibly lonely for a good friend, albeit a hot one, but a good one nonetheless. Sarah ran her fingers over the pillow, but then she remembered why they had got into the fight in the first place. Jareth was trying to force her to say that it was her fault that she ran the Labyrinth. It clearly wasn't and Sarah was going to stand by that statement till death. Recalling the fight infuriated Sarah again. She chucked the pillow at the wall and ran to her desk. She scrawled out on another piece of paper. _BAD BOY!_

That night, She met Martin at the grocery store. He was a rebel without a cause, and looked like a punk in his black clothing. He had a cigarette hanging from his mouth when approached her. "You like bikes?" He asked. Sarah smirked and nodded. "Well hop on hottie."

That first ride took Sarah on a horrible roller coaster relationship that lasted for six months. It seemed like was never going to end. Sarah wanted this to work so badly that she forced herself on it. She thought she could stick it out until she came home one day. Martin's motorcycle was in the driveway. Excitedly she ran up the steps and into her house. She threw open the door and screamed. Martin was on the couch making out with another woman.

"Sarah!" He yelled.

"Martin! What is going on?"

"Sarah, it's just not working out between us. I think we should see other people." He said coolly.

"Well it's a little late for that apparently." Sarah yelled. "Get out Martin. Take all your crap and get out of my house before I call the cops."

After throwing Martin, who didn't even live there, out of her house. Sarah ran to her vanity. She dropped her head in defeat. She was originally where she started. Alone and crying.

"Jareth, I need you." She bawled into the crook of her arm. Nothing happened. "Jareth, I'm sorry. Please come back." She cried. Again, nothing happened. Sarah just started crying harder, but then she felt hand on her shoulder. Sarah shuddered. She knew it was Jareth. She jumped to her feet and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his soft, white poet shirt.

"Oh, come now precious thing. Don't cry. I am here." He crooned smoothing her hair down. "I am sorry as well."

Sarah looked up at him. "Jareth, all this time it was you. I went through all those guys because I—I—love—I—"

"Shh, precious, I love you too." He held her close to him and kissed her softly.

Fin.

And now we can all puke from the mushiness of this challenge update. It's love what can you expect. And I was in a mushy mood apparently. Well, actually, no, it just wouldn't work as well with Ivory. Anyway, here's another challenge update. There should be another actual update for _And No Birds Sing_ soon. I'm just waiting for edits. And as most of you reading can tell this isn't edited very heavily. It's mostly just for fun, so I don't even care if you wanna flame the mess outta this little sucker. Lol .

To Zeta, I'm really glad you liked the last chapter, and hope you'll forgive this one. And if you wanna do fan art of Jareth and Ivory , I'm not opposed to it. As always, thanks for being my faithful reviewer. I'm surprised you haven't reviewed _And No Birds Sing_. Yes I am shamelessly promoting my story lol.

Lylabeth1, yeah I know that the actual story line of the Labyrinth wouldn't happen in the folklore, but we gotta do something Jareth Sarah shippers lol. I'm really pleased that you think my sketches are so good. I know this one isn't up to par. Thanks for reviewing.


	25. Waiting Theme 55

100 Theme Challenge

Theme 55: Waiting—Dedicated to Gary

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda legal jargon, blah blah blah, lawyer talk, ramble ramble ramble, basically I don't own anything that belongs to rich people who aren't me. Blah blah blah, I'm poor, and make no money…. Yadda yadda yadda

It had only been three days since the Goblin King was so unceremoniously plopped into my life. It kind of reminded me of a rock tossed into a mud puddle. It made a horrible "splooshing" sound and covered everyone in mud. He was always there. I couldn't get rid of him. He got on my nerves one day so I drove him to the other side of town and left him there. When I got homeut, he was sitting on my couch looking like a parent who caught his kid sneaking in.

He acted as if I was his servant. The day after he arrived, I had to go work, but Jareth thought I should get up earlier than usual. Or rather, he woke me up at the crack of dawn poking me with his riding crop. I had just fallen asleep because his royal highness had kicked me out of my bed, so I crashed on the couch.

"Rise up woman," He commanded still poking me with his crop. I cracked one eye open and glared at him.

"What is the matter with you?" I demanded.

"I hunger. Rise and feed me." He whipped my leg lightly.

"OW!" I yelled. I reached up and snatched the crop from him. "What is your problem?" I asked. I whipped him with the crop and flopped back on the couch.

"I hunger; arise and feed me." He repeated, rubbing his arm where I had whipped him.

I opened one eye again and just glared at him. In my mind, I was imagining his head exploding. It was an amazing sight, blood everywhere. "The good Lord gave you two hands for a reason," I grumbled. He just stared at me expectantly. I groaned and got up slowly. "You know what, GK, I'm going to murder you before this week is over." I got up, threw some toast in the toaster, and fried an egg. He complained about how meager this breakfast was. That was when I threw the coffee on him. In hindsight, it probably wasn't my brightest idea, but you can only take so much.

Now, I was enjoying my time at home after work. I was sitting at my lap top drinking a cup of coffee. I stared blankly at my e-mail. "I wish someone would review." I muttered.

"In my current predicament madam, I am unable to grant that wish." He said with a sigh. I looked up at Jareth. He was sitting on my couch across from me. He leaned his face against his cane.

"What? No, I didn't really want a wish."

"Then you should be careful what you say. What are you doing anyway?"

"Waiting for a review," I replied sighing. "I write fanfiction stories about—well about you."

"Me? What know you of me?" He demanded.

"Well, you know the movie and then the fan-fiction." I clicked on the other open tab that was on . I showed him the Labyrinth fanfiction. "Here beef up on yourself. I'm gonna go get dinner."

I came back thirty minutes later and he was raging. "What in the name of Odin is this rubbish?" He demanded making wide gestured at my computer.

"It's called fanfiction. I told you." I walked past him and set the grocery bags down.

"And you write this non-sense?" I shrugged. "I would never fall in love with a pitiful mortal. You mortals are so beneath our status." He then began yelling about Sarah and how he would never love an ugly mortal. "I would never love a mortal, much less care about one. You are all so ugly, even you—"

"GK, I'm boiling water right now so unless you wanna be wearing it I really suggest you stop talking."

"I was going to say you're a tolerable specimen."

"Good," I replied. Jareth sighed and then walked into the kitchen.

"Why do you not have a suitor, or a betrothed? You are past the prime birthing years. You should at least have some prospective buyer. Or is your father very poor and unable to make a good barter for you?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Thank you very much GK for that lovely, condescending, generously insulting vote of confidence." I snapped my spaghetti noodles in half and dropped them into the water. I stirred the water blankly for a few minutes. "And for your information, I am not 'past the prime of birthing years'. I'm really young. And what am I going to do with a husband and kids? That's why I have a cat. And you're like having a kid, completely dependent."

I finished making dinner and gave Jareth a plate of spaghetti. He looked at it and arched an eyebrow. I waited for him to say something, but apparently, he learned his lesson. We didn't talk much, I mostly just watched T.V. while he complained. I even thought about putting the movie on just to annoy him some more.

I pulled out my laptop again and checked my email. I had one new message, but it wasn't a review alert, just spam. I wrinkled my nose and sat back_._

"_Maybe my two week parenting course with the Goblin King could go faster if someone reviewed…_"

Yes, this is shameless begging for reviews. I didn't know what else to do for waiting. And just so some of you know, I need another number, I'm running out of them. So you guys review or pm and give me a number. On the bright side, this puts me at the quarter done mark. As I so discreetly mentioned in my story you guys should really read and review…

Zeta: Aw, come on. Really? Some days I think I'm alone in my anti-mush world. :( But, glad you liked it. And yeah it' really sappy for me. Yes, I am the kind that hates the Notebook and wretches at a walk to remember.

Lylabeth: It's really strange that it's not letting you log in. I'm glad you liked my dribbles of half ideas.


	26. Triangle theme 90

100 THEME CHALLENGE

THEME 90: TRIANGLE—DEDICATED TO ALL THOSE STAR CROSSED LOVERS

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda legal jargon, blah blah blah, lawyer talk, ramble ramble ramble, basically I don't own anything that belongs to rich people who aren't me. Blah blah blah, I'm poor, and make no money…. Yadda yadda yadda

_Dia ad aghaidh 's ad aodann . . . agus bas dunach ort! Dhonas 's dholas ort, agus leat-sa!_

At first, it was a strangled whisper as if a thousand voices were vying for attention in short, dark gasps. She just barely ignored it as the unintelligible noises continued for the better part of an hour. To her ears, it seemed as if rats were scampering in the walls of the Goblin Palace. She tried to ignore them and focus on her dance partner. It was too little avail; the voices raised.

The waltz ended just as the voices reached a cacophonic shrieking crescendo. One final shriek, then the voices of the Labyrinth fell silent.

A heartbeat passed, and then in unison the voices breathed, _"They are here!"_

Ivory had no time to react before thousands of Drow burst through the doors. The ballroom erupted in screeches and grunts as the Drow swarmed in like a black death, murdering all the soldiers and killing any of the fey who resisted. Ivory tensed in terror. She had forgone her traditional sword since she planned to join the festivities. She ran to the body of a fallen soldier, and despite how much it pained her, Ivory collected his weapons. She closed the soldier's eyes a final time and ducked into a crevice in the walls.

Drow soldiers grabbed Sarah roughly by the hair. Asher immediately rushed to her, fully prepared to kill any that touched her, but the warrior held a dagger to her neck. His red eyes glinted with sadistic challenge. He waited for a moment taunting Asher by digging the knife shallowly into the soft flesh of Sarah's neck. The Drow would have gladly killed both the woman and her Chaldean lover. Knowing that he would not be fast enough to save Sarah, Asher held up his hands and allowed two other Drow to grab him.

They dragged them all to the front of the room to stand on the dais. Jareth and his soon to be bride, Aleta, were forced to stand with them. The Queen Mother and King Father were in the crowd, still held hostage. Jareth tried to conjure a crystal but found he was impotent. Every still living fey held their breath as the screams and sounds of death faded into the night.

The complete silence rang loudly in everyone's ears as they waited for the Drow leader to show himself. Perhaps it was the silence that made the sound of walking boots seem louder; perhaps it was the utter shock as each fey member stood flabbergasted. The crowd split to allow the man a wide birth, staring as if they were watching a ghost. He walked up to the dais; his loud boots leaving bloody foot prints.

The appearance of this new man left even Ivory taken aback. She had plans of attacking the Drow soldier who held Jareth, but she stopped short at the platform's steps. Her dagger dropped from her hand.

"Seth," she muttered.

"Ah, I was wondering where you were, my dear General." The former Prince said smirking at Ivory. He waved his hand and a Drow pushed Ivory up the steps. She stood there in awe as he walked up to her. "Now, my takeover is complete." He tapped her chin with the side of his finger.

"How are you here, Seth? You were exiled to the—" Od demanded standing tall against his rebellious son.

"Yes, King Father, the Drow Mountains." Seth began chuckling deeply as his father realized what happened.

"The Elite's will not stand for your impudence, Seth." Freya yelled.

"I'm sure they shall be far too busy burning to death to care what I am doing with my new kingdom." He replied coolly. "Pyrokinetics always was something of a science with me." Freya's eyes grew wide with horror as she realized the monstrous thing her son had done. Jareth stepped forward.

"Seth, stop this now, there is still time to undo this. You can come home."

"Home, Brother? Home? Home is where the heart is right, and all that mortal nonsense. Well you see brother, when our loving parents exiled me to the Drow Mountains I cut my heart out. He sighed and then turned a dark, glaring eye to his parents. "Speaking of which, I should return the favor."

As if it were an inconsequential matter, Seth waved a gloved hand. "Kill them." He stated, bored with the whole idea. Drow warriors stepped out and murdered the former King and Queen quickly. Their bodies crumpled to the ground and spilled their blood at their son's feet.

Jareth stepped back; his eyes flickered to Ivory who was standing almost at attention. She seemed unmoved by the horrific scene unfolding. She watched with scientific interest as the blood drained from the former monarchs. She snapped her attention to him meeting his eyes, and searching his face. Their stare lasted a few moments; each conveying what the other wanted to see. She conveyed confidence in him, and he trust in her.

Seth interrupted them. "And what have we here?" He asked. "Now, some of these, I know not." He stepped towards Sarah. She raised her chin towards him defiantly, as she always did when a challenge affronted her.

"Judging by your appearance you must be Sarah, who my brother pined after for all those years." He laughed. Seth stepped nearer to her, still smirking. Then Asher edged closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "And yet, here she stands with another.

"It does seem, though Brother, that we are celebrating your engagement, but to whom?" He asked. Seth stroked his chin thoughtfully and turned towards the crowd. He felt extremely theatrical.

"Yet, here I stand, perplexed by the predicament I see before me. The mortal woman who made you lovesick," he said pointing an accusing finger at Sarah, "Stands here with another, a Chaldean no less. Are the Chaldeans not hated by all kinds save their own?"

He moved closer to inspect Asher. "Judging by your eyes and your hair, you must be in some relations to this woman." He motioned towards Ivory. "A brother, or a cousin perhaps."

"An intelligent choice, little mortal girl, you could not, humanly speaking have done worse. You chose so very far above yourself."

Sarah opened her mouth to retort back, but Ivory hushed her. Smirking, Seth looked at Ivory as he turned back to his captive audience.

"So here we all stand, celebrating my brother's engagement, not to the woman he pined for, and not to the woman who has loved and served him faithfully for all these years." He displayed Ivory. Her face flushed a vibrant shade of red, and she immediately looked down. Jareth's eyes grew wide as he stared at her.

"Yes, the ever militant, ever faithful High General, whom we all expected to be devoid of feeling," He walked behind Ivory and leaned into her ear, "was in love with the King."

"But he would have not known that would have he?" He whispered solely to her. "You would have never exposed that to him. It would leave you too vulnerable."

Jareth turned to Ivory. "Is this true?" He asked. She didn't respond, only stared more intently at the floor. "I did not—"

"Does it actually matter that he did not know? He was always so absorbed in himself, Ivory, that he never stopped to notice you." Seth said loudly enough for only those standing on the platform to hear.

Seth moved Ivory's black hair from her ear and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Look at that disgusting little abscess he has." He grabbed Ivory's chin and jerked it towards the thin, spritely little blonde fey cowering behind the Goblin King. "I would surmise she has never had a valid thought in her head for the entirety of her pathetic little existence. Every want, whim, and desire just handed to her."

"Have you a point?" Ivory asked coolly.

"She never had to work for anything and marries him. You dote upon him for so very long, and here you stand alone, still serving a king who does not care about you."

Seth felt Ivory's entire frame tense. Her shoulders squared and she held her chin a little higher. "I serve only my king." She snapped. "I will not serve a false king."

He stepped back and chuckled. "We shall see how you feel after what is yet to come. Take the king to a cell, and the High General will come with me."

Helplessly, Ivory watched as the Drow dragged Sarah, Asher, Aleta, and Jareth away. She refused to accept the fate that hung over her. She was Chaldean; she would not admit defeat. Much like a trapped tiger, fending off poachers, Ivory would fight. Ivory launched into action. She screamed in rage and rushed at them. She managed to slaughter three Drow with her bare hands before several more attacked her. She ripped through as many as possible in the short amount of time she had. However, it soon became too much for her. The Drow were able to stop her before she could free the others. A burly Drow soldier grabbed her arms and held them behind her back. Ivory stood defiantly glowering at Seth. The green blood of Drow soldiers dripped from her body.

Seth stepped forward and grabbed Ivory's arm roughly. He dragged her away from the room and into a great hall. He produced a set of manacles and clamped them tightly on her wrists. "If you will calm yourself, Ivory, I have a proposition for you."

"What is it?" She asked as she fought with the chains. The more she struggled with the bonds the closer they became until the shackles on her wrists were almost fused together

"Well, I shall preface my proposition with this: I have always loved you Ivory. I would love you in a way that my brother never will, and obviously never has—"

"You are not serious!" She yelled. "How could I love a murderer? You just killed your own parents."

Seth waved his hands, and suddenly Ivory found the chain of her bonds wrapped around her neck. "Do not interrupt me again, Ivory. I am only claiming what is rightfully mine. I thought that you of all people could comprehend that, or has been living the dutiful subservient life taken the fight out of you." Ivory just snorted. He stepped closer to her. Seth removed his glove, stroked her face, and entwined his fingers in her black curly hair. "I hope to give you something to fight against."

She snorted violently in his face. Ivory began struggling against her binds, but they gathered again. "Stop struggling, you will only strangle yourself. Here is my proposition, you say that you love my brother, prove it."

She stopped moving and glared at him. He smiled. "Now that I have your complete, undivided attention," he said stroking her face again. "Your life for his."

She just stared at him intently. "You stay here with me, and I will spare his life."

Ivory inhaled deeply as she prepared to give her answer.

TBC

So this is part of the sequel to _And No Bird Sings_ that I will never fully write out. I figured I'd use as part of the challenge. And I'm hoping that you all can guess Ivory's answer. (It's no by the way, or is it?) And I was going to do this one for love, but since I've already done love, I decided to use it for Triangle, only it's more of a square. I guess. Jareth loved Sarah, but she decided she liked Asher, Ivory's brother. Ivory loves Jareth, but she can't tell them. Jareth is going to marry Aleta who he doesn't like at all. And apparently, Seth lusts after Ivory.

Zeta Sigma: Dear, don't waste your time on those horrible movies. And theme 1 is introduction. I'm working on it. I hope you like this one enough. And the insane things I find piddling around on the internet.

Lylabeth 1: I hope you do get a new computer, so that you can actually log in.


	27. Seeking Solace Theme 5

100 THEME CHALLENGE

THEME 5: SEEKING SOLACE—DEDICATED TO ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

Disclaimer: I, under pain of being burned to death and eaten by fire-breathing dragons the breathe fire; will make no monetary gain from writing this. Obviously if I did, you would be buying this instead of writing this. You, reader, under pain of death of being burned to death by a fire-breathing dragon that breathes fire will not take my characters.

I kicked the small pinecone along the empty road. I suppose it was a road; I had no other name to call it, maybe a path. It didn't matter; as usual I was the only one walking on it. It was a wide path that led me towards civilization, or at least closer to it.

As I walked towards the junkyard, I realized I was walking openly down an uncovered path. I hunched down and pulled my jacket tighter around me. I moved slowly towards the tree line before disappearing into it.

I was a Chaldean and not supposed to be in the Labyrinth, but—I tried not to dwell on that thought. I pulled my hat down closer to my head as I walked in the trees alongside the path.

"Do you enjoy being alone?" A voice asked me.

I looked to my left and saw an incandescent being floating lazily next to me. It was the spirit of the Labyrinth.

"No," I replied. I tried to tread carefully. Fallen leaves from the dormant trees crunched under my feet. The noise grated my nerves and went against my training as a Chaldean soldier. I was always to be as quiet as possible. Lately though, with no enemies around me, I'd grown lax in my habits. I wrinkled my nose and concentrated on my footfalls.

"Then why do you always hide in the shadows?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at me.

I looked at her sternly. That should have been an obvious answer. I did not want anyone to find me here. "Why shouldn't I hide in the shadows, Labyrinth?"

"Because no one is ever around you, Ivory." She replied.

I considered what she said. She was right; most of the time, I would go days without seeing another sentient being, save a goblin. I lived completely hidden from the world around me.

The Labyrinth was the only thing I with which I could hold a conversation. She had explained it to me once, but I didn't understand. When I was wished away I fulfilled some ancient bargain, and the Labyrinth connected herself to me. I was one of the very few who she actually showed herself too. To me, it was all outlandish and strange. Another thing I tried not to think about.

I ducked under a branch that passed through the Labyrinth's spirit. "Is there a problem with always being alone?" I asked. She was behind me, but I knew she was shaking her head.

"I was alone all of the time in Chaldea," I told her. I was part of a reconnaissance group that specialized in stealth and information. There were times when I would be alone for a year or more just watching, gathering information on any given enemy. Solitude never bothered me.

"You are not in Chaldea, and there is no enemy." She retorted. I shrugged and carefully stepped over a log. "Yet, you would rather walk through these cumbersome woods than the path."

"And if I do? What does it matter to you?"

"I thought you flesh and blood mortals were social creatures."

"I am social with you aren't I?" I asked her. She appeared in front of me, stopping my progress.

"I am not flesh and blood."

"Unless you are a figment of a deranged imagination brought on by the duress I felt when I was transferred here, then you are real enough to satisfy my need to socialize."

The Labyrinth snorted and bent backwards down the path. "Do you find comfort in being alone then?"

"I find comfort in nothing." I replied. She wrinkled her face at me, dissatisfied with my answer. "I find familiarity in being alone."

We walked a long while in silence. I could see the ridge of the junk yard just a mile on the horizon; I had made good time. I could get my things and make camp before nightfall. I continued to walk in my stealthy fashion, feeling better for keeping to my training.

"Do you enjoy walking like a lunatic through the woods?" The Labyrinth asked impatiently. I looked at her blankly. "You act as if you are being followed or following someone. Does that give you pleasure?"

I laughed quietly. "It does."

"How does wandering around like that give you pleasure?"

I shrugged and moved an unruly red bang out of my face. "It is part of who I am." I thought for a moment longer. "Perhaps, Labyrinth, I find comfort in that."

To all those of you who have been faithful reading, especially Zeta Sigma, I want to thank you for your support and hope you continue to read.

Zeta: Thanks a lot for the corrections. Some of those I thought I fixed, but as soon as I get a second, I'll edit them.

Abiboa: The nameless girl is Ivory. She's an original character from my story _And No Bird Sing._


	28. Advertisement Theme 95

100 THEME CHALLENGE

THEME 95: ADVIRSTIMENT—DEDICATED TO ME!

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda legal jargon, blah blah blah, lawyer talk, ramble ramble ramble, basically I don't own anything that belongs to rich people who aren't me. Blah blah blah, I'm poor, and make no money…. Yadda yadda yadda

I was dreaming. I knew that much. I was really enjoying my dream too. I had on an amazing outfit. It was beautiful red sweater dress, and apparently I'd lost ten pounds somewhere along the way. Out of nowhere, this annoying bee flew into my face. It buzzed around me and stung me a few times. All the while, it was calling my name. I loathed waking up, but it happened against my will.

I wearily opened my eyes to see the Goblin King. He was calling my name. He was standing on the far side of the bed poking me with the riding crop. Jareth was snaking his hand forward, applying a snap to my arm, and then whipping back. He'd learned early on that if I got a hold the crop, I'd beat him with it. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I focused on his regal stance at the side of my bed.

"Mortal," he said superiorly. "You must take me to sup on the never ending cakes from the pan."

"What?" I mumbled. I glanced at my clock. It was five thirty in the morning. "Goblin King, do you know what time it is?" I yelled grabbing the digital clock.

"Time is irrelevant. I have given a command. I even laid out your clothing. So quickly get ready. You shall take me now."

I rolled my eyes. "Really, GK, really? No, what I shall do is kick you out of my room and go back to sleep."

"I will not be moved by you little mortal girl." He crossed his arms defiantly.

I snorted. "You look like an idiot." I said flipping back my covers. "Ok, so if I did take you, which I don't think I will. What money am I supposedly taking you with?" I retorted as I got out of bed.

Jareth followed me as I went into the kitchen to start my coffee and feed my cat. I picked my cat up and petted him gently while the coffee perked. My cat hissed at Jareth, and the Goblin King shied back a step.

"It doesn't exactly grow on trees. I already spend a lot of money you and I don't have extra. So unless you're buying." I said, stuffing a cup of coffee in his hands.

The Goblin King snorted. "Oh very well," he set the cup down with a rattle and disappeared into my room. He came back a few minutes later holding a leather pouch. He opened it up and spilled a few gold coins on the counter.

"Is that enough?" He asked, annoyed. I raised an eyebrow and touched the coins.

"Are they real gold?'

"No, you are only having a vision that they are there. You have lost your mind and, as you would say, are imagining things."

"That's what I've been telling myself since you got here." I muttered. I picked the coins up and hefted the weight in my hand, and then I got to thinking. "How many do you have?"

"Not many, ten or fifteen, I was ill prepared to make this journey."

"Are they pure gold?" I asked.

The Goblin King thought for a moment, before responding. "I believe they are."

"Ok great. Give me a minute to get dressed." I abandoned my coffee and ran to my bathroom. I'm fairly sure I threw my clothes on in record time. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and grabbed my travel make up bag.

"You are taking me to the house of the cakes of the pan?" He asked, excitedly.

"Well, not yet, there's a jewelers on the other side of town. He'll be open about the time we get there. I have to exchange your money for ours."

"You foolish mortals and your paper money." He snorted. I rolled my eyes and ignored him. I'll admit that I felt a little bit like the little boy on _The Day the Earth Stood Still_. Not the new one though with, funnily enough, Jennifer Connelly, but more like the boy from the black and white version when takes the diamond from Klaatu. Only my Klaatu was a tall, handsome Goblin King and he wasn't going to destroy the earth. At least I hoped he wasn't going to.

I was right; the jeweler was open when we got there. I walked in and dragged Jareth with me. After a few minutes of browsing, we stood at the counter. I laid down the bag of coins. The man behind the desk inspected it closely. "Ah, yes," he said. "This is really great gold, but these markings are extremely unusual. Where did you get it?"

"Oh, we found it in drawer." I replied. Jareth raised an eyebrow at me.

"But those are—"

"Jareth, will you go look over there for some earrings. I want gold ones, with emeralds." I cut him off and pushed him towards another case of jewlery. The last thing I needed was for him to blather that he were some kind of mythical creature from a mythical land. I already seemed nervous standing here wondering if goblin gold would work in the real world.

"Well," the old man said. "It'll have to be scrap gold."

"Yeah, but that will still get a good price right?" I asked. He shrugged and took the gold into the back to weigh it. I walked over to Jareth.

"Have you the funds?" He asked.

"Not yet, I have to wait for him to give me a price for it." I replied.

"I would that he hurries. I have a hunger, and I desire the pancakes," he said. I glanced up at the wall and looked for the gold prices. They weren't displayed anywhere. I sighed and waited. A few minutes later, the man came back to me.

"I give you 5,011.20 for it. That's including my fee." He said.

I stared at him, utterly shocked. "What?" I mumbled.

"Yeah, 5,011.20, gold's worth 1,740 per ounce. You have about three ounces worth here total. I take four percent fee; so you get 5,011.20 for everything." I blinked stupidly at him, still trying to process what was going on. Had the Goblin King really just put me that far ahead (of course, provided I didn't blow it all)?

"Really?" The man just raised his eyebrow at me. "I'm sorry, I just can't believe—of course I'll take your pricing." The man nodded and went into his back office.

I could barely contain my excitement as the man put the money in my hands. My toes twitched in my sandals. This money would put me so far ahead! I might even have some left over to blow!

"There that's all of it."

"I don't think I've ever seen this much money." I said. The man rolled his eyes at me. "Thanks so much. Have a great day" I ran to Jareth, who was inspecting a stereo closely.

"Come on, GK, let's go." I said grabbing his arm and nearly running out of the store.

"Will you unhand me?" He snapped, jerking his arm from my grasp.

"Hurry up, Princess!" I opened the car door and tried shoving him in.

"Madam, I am not a Princess. I will get in your horseless chariot when I am ready."

I rolled my eyes. "Always gotta be a Prima Dona don't you?" I asked myself more than I did him. I went around to the driver's side and opened the door. "Fine, GK, then you can stay here." I closed the door and started the car.

I think he realized I was really going to leave him there, because he smoothly sat down in the passenger seat. "Now to the house of pancakes?" He asked. "I hunger."

"Yeah, one more stop." I replied. "I need to go to the bank and deposit this money."

"Can you not do that after we eat? I hunger." He asked.

"No," I said trying to remember where the nearest bank was. I looked at the gas gauge. I could actually fill my car up and not cry this time; that gave me intense happiness.

"Mortal!" Jareth snapped.

"What?"

"I asked you why we must delay our meal further."

"Look, not all of us are magical super-beings from another world. I really don't want someone to catch me with this much cash on hand."

"Oh very well, but let us make this journey with haste." He snapped. I blinked at him and sighed.

"Whatever, GK." I drove to the bank and deposited the money, and then I took Jareth to the IHOP.

He stared awkwardly at the waitress, who asked him what he wanted.

"He wants the never ending pancake thing." I said before he could make an idiot of himself.

She laughed and looked at him. "Aw. You guys are such a cute couple. You can order for each other."

"We are not a couple, madam." Jareth glared at the woman and I just blinked. She looked to me for some sort of answer. I could only really shrug. I wasn't about to disagree with the Goblin King. I mean, after all, he was buying lunch, dinner, and groceries for the next month, rent and a lot of utilities. Who would really push the subject?

There you all go. Advertisement, this one I thought would be hard to do, but then this random idea came to me.


	29. Introduction Theme 1

100 THEME CHALLENGE

THEME 1: INTRODUCTION—DEDICATED TO ZETA SIGMA

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda legal jargon, blah blah blah, lawyer talk, ramble ramble ramble, basically I don't own anything that belongs to rich people who aren't me. Blah blah blah, I'm poor, and make no money…. Yadda yadda yadda

A page moved around the rink carefully. He ducked as a line of bright red blood shot down at him from the sparring soldiers. He sneered at the pool of bloody spit and edged his way towards the trainer. "Is the High General here?"

The officer didn't acknowledge him, but merely pointed towards the horse training field. Annoyed, the page walked on, dodging the charging horses as he made his way towards the High General's perch atop her dun. He approached her carefully.

"High General," he said with a bow.

"What?" She demanded, more interested in what the soldiers were doing than the page.

"There's a man here to see you, ma'am."

She didn't respond but continued yelling at the soldiers nearest to her.

With a wrinkled nose the page glanced around to see who was listening. "A Chaldean," he said.

The High General's head snapped towards the page, and her eyes narrowed into little slits as she scrutinized him. The page cowered a little, unsure of her reaction to his words. The man had claimed to be a Chaldean. Since the High General was the only Chaldean he'd ever seen, the page had no grounds for refuting him.

Not sensing a lie, Ivory slammed her heels into her horse's sides. The animal whinnied in response and bolted towards the castle. Ivory's stomach tensed painfully at the prospect of seeing a countryman. She questioned how long it had been since she'd last seen one of her own, but the stretching number irritated her. She pushed the thoughts away and prepared herself mentally to face this man.

As she approached the entryway, Ivory jumped off her horse and forcefully slammed her helmet into an unfortunate butler's stomach standing nearby. She mentally prepared to see a lowly Chaldean soldier standing in front of her. The Drow Mountains were too dangerous to warrant sending a ranking officer. She forced the door open, letting it slam into the wall. The tall, broad man standing in the center of the foyer caught her off guard. Shocked, she lost her composure and quickly scrambled to put her steely mask back on her face, hoping that her surprise wouldn't register. She could not seem weak, especially not to him.

"Asher," she said with a heavy breath.

He bowed, and his pony tail of dark red hair with the black forelock fell over his shoulder. "Hello, little Colonel," he said.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded instantly.

He wasn't fazed by her hostility at all, almost as if he expected it. Why wouldn't he though? Chaldeans never came to the Southern Kingdoms unless there was a dire need. The man stood up again and flicked his hair back over his shoulder. He moved closer to her. "Well, that's a fine way to treat a guest," he said.

Ivory rolled her eyes. "You are in no right a guest here. In fact, I can't begin to count how many laws you are breaking by being here."

"And you aren't?"

Ivory's nostrils flared. "No," she said. "Now, stop rabbiting and tell me why you've come, Asher."

The Chaldean man coolly stared at her. He moved to look out a window and stared down at the sprawling Labyrinth below. He turned back to Ivory and smiled. "I've come to invoke your Chaldean loyalty."

"My Chaldean loyalties?" she asked with a black eyebrow arched. It had been so long since she'd seen Chaldea that she didn't feel as if were even a true member of the race. She'd developed so many Fey and Elfin habits that—she shook her head, clearing her mind of the thoughts. "I have none." Her voice was flat. "I haven't the pleasure of them."

Asher glared at her. "Haven't you?"

"No, as a denizen of the Labyrinth, my loyalties must and do lie here."

It was his turn to arch a red eyebrow over his light blue eye as he regarded her darkly. "I had hoped to find you still a noble Chaldean."

Ivory's squared her shoulders in indignation. "I am," she snapped. The Chaldean man's only response was a snort of stark derision.

"Hardly," he said finally.

She tilted her chin up towards him defying him. "If you know what will benefit your immediate future, Asher, you will bite your tongue." Her voice was low and filled with menace. Most people cowered whens she did that, but Chaldean man welcomed the challenge. It was their way.

"Really, now," he questioned. He stepped close to her. "I think you have gone soft."

"Asher," she hissed, "shut your mouth."

He moved close to her again and drew his eyebrows together. "Aw, have I offended the little princess?" He asked mockingly and continued, laughing. If he had been vigilant, he would have seen Ivory move her fist from her sword and ball it up. Others noticed it as a visible tell. It landed squarely in his stomach, effectively winding him. He recovered quickly and caught her mouth with his fist. Ivory staggered backwards, fully shocked that someone actually strike back. It had been a long time since anyone had actually fought her.

Squinting at him, Ivory touched her lip and wiped away the blood.

A smug, taunting grin spread across the man's face. "Well come on then, little princess," he said.

Ivory jerked forward with balled fists, but Asher blocked her, grabbing her hand. He flipped her around, choked her with her left arm, and pinned her right arm behind her back. As she struggled to get free, Asher pulled her arms tighter. Trapped, Ivory slammed her head into his nose. Asher groaned and released her just enough that she could break free. As she leapt out of his grasp, he reached out and grabbed her long black braid. With a jerk from his strong arm, he slammed her into the ground.

Her head ran as it connected with the hard stone floor, and lights danced in front of her eyes. She couldn't stop though; Asher couldn't win. Thinking quickly, Ivory snaked out her legs and swiped his legs from underneath him. Asher slammed into the ground, giving Ivory a momentary upper hand. She kicked him in the face.

Asher saw the heel of her heavy boot coming towards his face, and barely put his hand up in time to block the blow. His hand caught the brunt of her force, but the boot clipped his eyebrow ridge splitting it open. She reared back her foot for another blow, but he anticipated it and grabbed her ankle. He twisted her foot.

Rather than let him break her ankle, Ivory tried to roll with the twist. Asher used this to his advantage and slammed her body into the ground again. She felt her skin on her cheek split open, and blood run down her face. She ignored the throbbing in her head and jumped to her feet. She advanced on Asher, who had rolled to his back. She moved faster than he did—one benefit of living with lithe fey and elves.

He saw her coming and in one powerful motion, he stomp-kicked her in the solar plexus, sending her backwards. He jumped to his feet and advanced her, but Ivory was prepared. She waited until he was only a few feet from him before she launched off the wall. Her fists raised, she landed one in his eye.

A terrified butler scurried into the king's study. "Sire," he rasped.

Jareth, who had not been expecting the interruption, looked up from his work impatiently. "What?"

"The High General and the man—" the butler stammered, pointing wildly. "They and then he, and she—"

"What?"

"He—they're—please my lord, come quickly." Jareth stared at him strangely, but slowly got out of his chair. He followed the wild butler to the foyer and saw the reason for his surprise.

The scene that greeted Jareth took him aback. A tall, muscular man had Ivory in a head lock, faithfully resisting her constant blows to his stomach with her elbow. Both of their faces were bleeding and starting to bruise. He noticed that the skin on her cheek was split wide open and exposed the flesh beneath it. He had blood running into his eye, but neither of them seemed to notice their wounds.

"What is going on here?" He demanded.

Ivory, realizing that he was standing there, changed her tactics. She slammed the palm of her hand into Asher's chin, and then elbowed him in the stomach. He reeled backwards and let go of her.

"Sire," Ivory said with a bow. "You'll forgive my present state—"

Asher looked from Ivory to the new man in surprise. The effect he had on her astounded Asher. Rather than continue fighting, she promptly ended the battle and seemed to revere this man. "Ah, you're the king," he said, rubbing his chin. "Then you are the one with whom I shall speak, you see—"

"Asher, hold your tongue."

"And if I won't?" Ivory shook her bruised and bleeding fist at him. He smiled, once again accepting her challenge. This time though, he threw the first punch, which she dodged. She brought her fist up and landed another blow to the side of his head. Jareth threw a crystal between them. An invisible force held both warriors back as they strained against it.

"Enough," Jareth bellowed. Ivory looked at him, her nostrils flaring as the adrenaline in her body lowered. Fighting exhilarated her, but she knew better than to agitate the king. "Ivory, you will come with me." He turned towards the butler and glared. "You will get this man some medical attention."

She could tell Asher was having the same reaction. He breathed hard but then smiled at her. He stepped back and approached the waiting butler. Ivory sighed and watched Asher go out of the room. There was a slight empty feeling in the pit of her stomach as the battle receded. Chaldeans were built for battle. She pushed her thoughts down and took control of her face. She walked toward her study where she kept her medical supplies. She passed Jareth, ignoring his dark glare as he followed her.

In the study, Ivory poured water into a basin and washed her face. She gently cleaned the gash on her cheek. "It'll need stiches," she said, gingerly touching the exposed meat. She grabbed her medical kit and pulled out various utensils to prepare.

"Do you mind explaining to me who that was, and why you were fighting?"

Ivory acted as if this were an everyday occurrence and began sterilizing her equipment. She grabbed a candle and set it alight, holding the metal instruments over the flame, one by one. She started to probe the wound to remove debris. "His name is Asher. He's a Chaldean warrior. We were fighting to prove living among the fey hasn't made me soft." Once fully prepared, she poked the needle into her face and pulled the thread through.

Jareth stared at her with fascinated horror. He'd seen enough battle in his life for medical treatments to not bother him, but it did amaze him that she would perform them on herself.

"I'm sure he will speak as he finds," she said with a sigh. She felt that her wounds were to vast to warrant not being considered soft. She should have had him down in a matter of a few minutes.

"That does not explain why he is here."

Ivory paused and touched her latest stitch. She pushed the needle through again, still ignoring the pain in her head. She compartmentalized it already and neatly stored it away, reducing the ache to a dull one. "He is here to invoke my sense of Chaldean loyalty."

"What particular reason?"

She stopped and squinted at her reflection. "He did not say. The fight broke out before we got much further than that."

Jareth shook his head. "Well, who is he?"

Sarah wandered down the halls of the infirmary as she searched for her elusive little brother. He'd ended up in here three times this week with various cuts and bruises. He wasn't in classes this afternoon. It hadn't taken Sarah much time to learn if Toby wasn't in classes or paging, he'd find his way down to the training grounds. The soldiers were careful of him—it always paid to be careful about the High General's favorite, but getting hurt was nearly inevitable. His obsession did worry Sarah a little bit, but for the most part, Toby stayed under Ivory's watchful eye. It had helped intensely when the High General had taken a great interest in her little brother. It let Sarah mourn and preoccupied Toby.

Sarah ducked into the head medic's room to see if Toby was down here for any reason. Ivory thought it was a good idea for him to get used to battle wounds, especially if he wanted to become a soldier. The thought revolted Sarah, but she couldn't argue. She'd left this part of Toby's life up to the High General. "Hey, Moll," she said opening the door. "Have you seen—" Sarah blinked at the broad shirtless man sitting on the infirmary table. He had his hand against his well-defined chest as he inspected a large purple bruise.

"Little cow," he muttered. Noticing Sarah's entrance, he looked up and smirked at her, his blue eyes roving over her body. He had streaks of blood across his face. "Are you the one they sent to care for me?" He asked.

Sarah looked down embarrassed by his penetrating stare. "No," she said.

He sighed. "Pity," he said as he pulled his shirt on. "I'm sure you make an excellent nurse." He walked over to a reflective glass and examined the swelling in his face.

"Are you all right?" Sarah asked, but immediately regretted the obvious question.

"Yes," he said. "I had not anticipated that the Colonel would have fought so roughly still." He shrugged as if this happened. "I was a little off guard, expecting to find someone soft, but well as you see—" He gestured to his bruised face.

Sarah furrowed her brow. This man didn't look like any Fey or Elf she'd seen. He looked more like Ivory, but that was absurd. If one thing was clear to Sarah, Chaldeans didn't come down here. Still there was no reason for an outsider to have fought someone, and if he wasn't an outsider, a ranking officer would have been down here barking out acid insults. "You know, fighting outside the arenas is severely punished. The High General doesn't allow it."

The man snorted. "What can your High General do to me?" He asked. "I'm not from here."

So he was an outsider, but from where? She crossed her arms. "Where are you from then? That's a pretty widely known rule."

He grinned at her showing his teeth that were still slightly red with blood. "Chaldea," he said with a flourishing bow.

Sarah straightened. She'd been right in her initial assumption, but why would a Chaldean come down here? That answer was simple enough though. "Then you must be here for Ivory."

The man looked at her with a raised eyebrow, his eyes a familiar shade of blue. "You think some weakling fey did this to me?" He motioned towards his face. "My dear woman, I am offended. With whom do you think I was fighting?"

Sarah's eyes went wide. Most people wouldn't fight Ivory. Sarah had to wonder what Ivory looked like since she was fighting someone of equal or greater power. "You fought the High General?" She asked, incredulous.

"I suppose," he replied. "That is, if your High General is a Chaldean woman."

Sarah nodded and he chuckled. "Well, she's done well for herself then." He looked at Sarah. "Take me to her," he commanded.

The human gave him a quizzical look. "Just because you're Chaldean doesn't mean you can order me around. I'm a lady of the courts here."

He smiled at her and bowed. "You'll forgive my impertinence then, ma'am. If you would be so kind to take me to her." Sarah narrowed her eyes at him.

"Shouldn't you wait for the medic?" She asked. A flap of skin hung down from his eyebrow and looked like it needed stiches.

"Bah." He waved his hand impatiently. "Looking at you, fair lady is all the medic I need." He quickly closed the distance and grasped Sarah's hand. He seemed as if he might have kissed it, but he refrained. Sarah was glad for that; the blood crusted to his lip didn't look very appealing.

"I guess," she said disengaging her hand from his. She led him out of the infirmary towards Ivory's study. "So how do you know Ivory?"

Jareth watched Ivory put a salve on her lip to bring down the swelling. She moved deftly, snatching different balms out of her aide bag and putting them back as quickly as possible. Her eyes were both blackened and her lip swelled up. The gash on her cheek sported her neat stiches, but still bruised and had some blood crusted to it. Over all, she repulsed him, but she seemed to wear it all with honor.

"Oh, for Odin's sake, Ivory, you look wretched; let me heal you."

She glanced at him in the mirror and shook her head. "No," she said. "It would be dishonoring to me to allow myself to be healed. He would think that I've gone soft."

Jareth grumbled and leaned against her desk. He'd gotten no further than this man bursting in demanding Chaldean loyalties. Ivory obviously knew who he was, but she was not forthcoming. "You seem to care a great deal about what he thinks, Ivory," he said finally.

"And if I do?" She replied caustically.

"Just musing on the fathomable reasons." She shrugged in response. "An old lover, perhaps?"

Ivory blanched. Her finger slipped, forcing a finger full of the bitter salve into her mouth. She snapped up a towel and wiped her tongue. "Hardly," she said. She picked up a pitcher and poured a glass of water. She allowed the liquid to sit on her tongue for a few minutes before spitting out ruddy water into a bowl.

"Family relations, she's my—"

Ivory wiped her mouth. "He's my—"

"Sister,"

"Brother," she said coolly. Jareth arched an eyebrow at her and sat down.

"Your brother," he repeated. She nodded as if she had just given him the most common news.

"I cannot pretend to know why they sent him on such a dangerous journey. He had to cross Drow territory to get here."

"So, he travels through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered to 'invoke your Chaldean loyalties' and you mean to tell me the first thing you do is try to bludgeon each other?" He asked, incredulous. She shrugged and checked some bruises forming around her neck. She felt her ribs, glad she'd been wearing armor. Asher had kicked her fairly hard. It would bruise and probably be painful, but other than that, her armor held. She touched her tender head and felt some dried blood flake off onto her nails. Annoyed, Ivory took her hair down and got some fresh water in the bowl. She poured the water over her head. Dirt and blood settled into the bowl with the water. She flipped her head over and toweled her face off. Her eye had nearly swollen shut and hurt to touch. A little frustrated she pulled a cord, calling a page.

A minute later, Toby scurried into the room with a clumsy bow. As he lifted up, his blue eyes got wide. "What happened to your face?"

Ivory sighed, still annoyed. "Toby, pages do not ask impertinent questions."

He immediately bowed his head. "Sorry, High General," he said.

"Go and fetch me ice and rags from the kitchen. Bring a good bit of it." The little boy bowed and scurried out of the room. "If you let me start them at six, I wouldn't have a problem with impertinence." Ivory said.

"I think no matter the age, Toby will always be so pert." Jareth shook his head. He walked over to Ivory and took her chin in his hand. "Honestly, I do not think I will ever understand Chaldeans. You don't seem to be upset at all that your _brother_ did this to you." He sighed and released her chin. "Speaking of impertinence," he said, settling into a nearby chair. "What are we going to do about your brother?"

"I am not entirely sure. It would depend on his purpose here." Ivory replied as she tied her hair back into a loose braid. The strands pulled painfully on her bruised scalp, and she could feel a large lump forming there.

Toby bolted down the hallway and rounded a corner. He enjoyed paging for Ivory, but what she didn't know was that he was hiding in the secret passage that led from her study to the back stairs. He stayed in their often, and since he was Ivory's personal page, none of the other boys answered her calls, unless they were told to specifically. The only bad thing about the passage was that you couldn't see anything, only hear. He'd heard Ivory got into a fight, but he hadn't realized what exactly happened. Her face was swollen and she'd sewn her own stiches. He wondered if he'd ever learn to do that. It seemed like any battle ready boy could.

Toby turned another corner and met his sister. He stopped and stared at the bruised man walking behind her. He regarded them for a few minutes, but then realizing he was staring, Toby looked down at his feet.

"Hey Tobes," Sarah said, ruffling his hair. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"To the kitchen," the young boy replied. "The High General wanted ice."

"Oh," she replied. She figured Ivory wanted it to combat the swelling. "Well, you'd better go on then." He nodded and continued racing down the hallway toward the kitchen. They walked down the hallway in silence. Sarah sighed and rubbed her arm. "I'm glad Ivory's watching out for him. I don't know what I would do if she weren't," she said finally. Asher nodded slightly.

"Is he your—"

"Little brother, our parents died some time ago. He came here to live with me when it happened." Sarah explained. She sighed and shook her head again.

Asher snorted. "My sister watches him?" He said. "That is unlike her," he said. He shook his head. "She might have gone soft after all."

Sarah shook her head. "No," she said. "Ivory's really tough, especially for a woman. She lets the young boys page for her and some of the higher ranking officers, until they're ready to enlist."

Asher would have arched an eyebrow if he could, but his face was still tight and slightly swollen. "So old?"

"Toby's only seven," Sarah replied. "We've only been here a year."

"Yes, children are enlisted in cadets at age 6 in Chaldea."

Sarah shook her head. "I wouldn't let it happen. I think eight's too young as it is. I know a lot of the other mothers are with me on that one. Ivory's tried several times, but still."

Asher was about to respond when his sister's voice cut him off.

"I cannot prevail upon them to allow me the boys the proper training," Ivory said, standing in her doorway. She looked a little better, but still her eyes were swollen and black and her cheek had dark, black thread running through it. Her lips were a little cracked. Her pale white face seemed swallow from the iodine she'd used to clean it with. She moved out of the doorway and motioned for them to come in. Asher strutted past his sister and Sarah followed him, pulling the heavy wooden doors closed behind her.

Asher looked at Jareth who regarded him intently. He felt uncomfortable and in pain. Despite her lack of control over these lesser beings, Ivory did keep up her fighting skills to some degree. She'd battered his rib cage enough to get her point across. He'd given her just as much though. He knew that blow he landed to her chest would bruise, since it obviously hadn't broken her ribs. He took a place leaning against a pillar, trying to seem cool. His face displayed no signs of pain, but he slumped ever so slightly.

His sister caught what he was doing. She grumbled to herself. "Sit down, Asher," Ivory commanded. "I need to check your ribs." She motioned to her desk and waited a few seconds for her brother to follow orders.

"Since when are you a medic?" He demanded, still trying to casually lean against the pillar.

She ignored his bravado and continued. "Since, I had to bandage you up as child," she retorted. Ivory, a little annoyed and in pain, glowered at him.

"You are no medic, and my ribs do not need attention. You over estimate yourself, little sister," he said with a laugh.

"I am a medic, and you know it. I also know how hard I elbowed you, Chaldean or not, that would have at the least, bruised a rib." She pointed at the table. "Now, stop being stubborn and sit so I can check you." Asher didn't move, only annoying his sister further. "It's either me or a fey," she said finally.

Asher lowered his head and flexed his jaw, upset that his sister had outwitted him. He trudged across the room and sat on the desk. With a loud, painful groan, Asher pulled his shirt over his head. Ivory quickly went to work assessing his ribs, pressing her fingers against his now purple skin. He groaned each time she touched him.

After she'd come in, Sarah leaned against Jareth's chair. She watched, fascinated by Ivory's medical skills. She showed no care or emotions when her brother groaned. She knew that Chaldeans liked to fight, but it still struck her as odd that two grown people would have gone to blows. "So," she whispered, leaning over to Jareth. "Do you know what's going on?"

"No," he said. "I found them fighting in the foyer. As far as I know, he is her brother."

"Yeah," Sarah said. "I got that much. I thought that Chaldean's weren't supposed to come down past the mountains."

Ivory glanced over at them. "We aren't," she said. "Sarah, could you help me bind him."

"Sure," Sarah said as she walked over to Ivory and picked up a fat ball of bandage. "Is anything broken?"

"No," Asher said. "Just bruised. She didn't hit me nearly as hard as I'd hoped she would."

A look of horror crossed the humans face, and she glanced back at Jareth. Jareth had moved forward and hovered over Ivory's shoulder.

Ivory was nonplussed with her brother's melodramatic behavior and countered him quickly. "You're no use to me with a broken rib. I'd have to wait until you were well again to extract answers." She turned to Sarah. "Here," she said putting the end of the wrap in Sarah's hands. "Hold that so I can start the first line."

Sarah put her hand on Asher's side, holding the wrap in place as Ivory wound it around him. Asher looked down at Sarah's small, tan hand pressed into his side and smiled at it.

Jareth noticed and, impatient to get answers, launched back into the discussion. "You're being here does pose a decent question as to why you chose to cross thousands of miles to bludgeon my High General near to death," he ground out. Asher shrugged. His answer dissatisfied the irritated royal, who pressed the matter a little further. "You come unannounced into my kingdom and decide that the first thing you are going to do is fight _my_ High General."

"Calm down, little king. I was checking to see if she was still the same woman who left Chaldea all that time ago." Asher smiled at Jareth, pleased at the king's temper. He hoped to fight the man. "Fey Monarch" would be another great thing to add to his list of things he'd fought and won.

Jareth pointed a gloved finger in Asher's face. "You may be of importance in Chaldea, sir, but you will respect me in my kingdom or I'll have you bogged," he said through clenched teeth.

Ivory looked up at Asher and shook her head. He'd always been one to push things as far as he possibly could. Sometimes so far that there was no coming back, and she didn't relish the thought of her brother being bogged. "Asher, stop antagonizing the king, please."

He made a slight face at her in response.

"He is right; you come here unannounced with a great deal of pomp."

The Chaldean man released a sigh, but winced as his bruised ribs protested. "Well, it was an exile mission," he said.

Ivory squinted at her brother as she handed him gauze covered in iodine to clean his face with. "Why would they send you on an exile mission?" She asked, picking up a fresh needle up from her kit and sterilized it with the same yellow liquid.

"Brigadier General Haddox, well more specifically, his wife."

"I thought you knew to stay away from the Haddox family," Ivory said. She threaded the needle. Turning to Asher again, Ivory probed his wound checking for anything that would cause infection if sewn into the skin. Finding nothing, she pressed the flap of skin up and pushed the need through it. Asher wrinkled his nose in discomfort, but said nothing outwardly.

Sarah gagged and turned her head away. "I don't understand how that doesn't bother you," she said. Ivory shrugged and methodically stitched her brother's gash.

"After a little while, ma'am you become accustomed to it. Suddenly, it doesn't bother you anymore," Asher explained. He smirked at Sarah's sensitive response, already enamored with the little human.

Not looking at them, Sarah managed to ask "what did you do that got you kicked out?"

"Was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She accused me of being the father of her unborn child."

Sarah turned back towards Asher. She didn't know what to think of this man. He was obviously a flirt, and she couldn't judge his face based on her present condition. There was a certain pull about him. Just how he seemed to own the place. "Are you?"

"Not if she were the last woman in all the worlds," he mulled over the statement and then added. "I would also need to be inebriated and unconscious."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Wow, she can't be that bad."

Both Chaldean siblings turned a withering look at the young woman causing her sheepishly to look down at her feet. "I guess she can." Sarah grimaced as Ivory continued to thread the needle through Asher's skin.

"You are very beautiful," Asher said randomly.

"Thanks," Sarah said, blushing down at her feet. Jareth snorted, crossing his arms.

"I had long that most mortals to be plain, but you have proven me wrong." If his face hadn't been through a gruesome battle, Asher would have probably been handsome. He had a strong jaw, large blue eyes, and red lips that stood out from his tan skin.

Ivory looked at Jareth and saw his eyes narrow. She glanced back at her brother and then spoke in Chaldean to him. "You would do well to leave Sarah alone, Asher."

"Ah, you do remember your old tongue."

"I still think in Chaldean," she said. She glanced at the mortal girl who had moved next to Jareth. "Sarah was the king's favorite at one point. I do not believe he has relinquished her yet."

"Ah, little sister, I remember a time when you would defy even the Lord General himself." Asher's voice carried a biting tone of condescension that Ivory easily ignored. She'd been among the fey too long to care about it.

"Different land, different rules."

"Will you two stop jabbering in Chaldean and explain to me what is going on here?" Jareth demanded. Asher looked at the king and opened his mouth.

"I'm back with the ice!" Toby announced, bursting into the room and sloshing ice and water everywhere. "I have it for you, Iv—High General." Toby took in the scene. The man from the hallway was sitting on the desk, shirtless. Ivory was stitching his eyebrow up with neat little thread marks. Watching her steady hand fascinated him.

Ivory nodded. "Yes," she said calmly. "Put it on the table."

Toby hoisted the large bowl up and set it on an end table near Ivory's desk. Sarah moved to her little brother. She took some of the rags he'd brought and put the ice in it. Sarah handed it to Asher to hold against his face to bring some of the swelling down. The Chaldean smirked as he took Sarah's hand that was still holding the ice and pressed it to his lip. Sarah blushed again and pulled her hand away.

"So, why did you come down here?" Sarah asked, scrambling for something to distract her from how forward he was.

Asher was actually pleased at how he could fluster Sarah so easily. He really thought her an attractive human, even if she was a little squeamish. No matter what his sister said, Asher was going to pursue her. He pulled the ice from his lips to answer. "It would seem that the Drow—" He saw Toby still staring at him intently, more specifically how Ivory tied her stiches off. He knew that the boy was Sarah's brother, but at the same time he was a page. "Are pages supposed to stay in the room, young man?" Asher asked.

Ivory glanced over his shoulder at Toby, who looked down sheepishly at his feet. "He's right," Ivory said. She nodded her head towards the door.

Toby sighed and started towards the door. He was just going to go sit in the cramped cubbyhole and listen. It wasn't as much fun though, because then he couldn't see what Ivory was doing medically for her brother.

Hearing the door shut behind her, Ivory sighed. "He's just going to go listen in that back room," she said to Jareth. "If you let me train them at a younger age this wouldn't happen." She walked over to the bowl of ice and put some to her face. Finally, Ivory sank into her chair behind her desk. She put her feet on the desk and leaned back.

"That matter is not open to discussion, Ivory," Jareth said forgetting himself for a moment. He rarely addressed her informally in front of people, but he was still annoyed at the disturbance Asher caused in his circle. The Chaldean was making overt overtures at Sarah. Something Jareth was working towards slowly. "We are supposed to be discussing why exactly I have a Chaldean, who is not my High General, sitting on a desk in my castle."

Asher rolled his eyes and pulled the ice from his lip again. "This actually is not much of your concern, Goblin King. It is a concern for my sister, and her solely."

"Well then, what is it, Asher?"

"The Drow," he said.

"Yes, I got that much," she snapped.

"They haven't made war with us in ten years."

Ivory immediately swung her feet down and sat up. "Ten years, so long for a time of peace?" While there were times of peace when the Drow and Chaldeans behaved as comrades, it never lasted that long. One would get caught stealing the other's technology, or sometimes they got bored and declared war.

"Is that a bad thing though?" Sarah asked.

"When war is your life, yes," Asher replied. Sarah raised her eyebrows and blinked a few times. She'd never thought that silence could be a bad thing, especially when it came to war.

Jareth moved closer to Ivory, almost possessively standing next to her. "Well what has this to do with the High General? She is no longer a Chaldean citizen."

"We hoped to use her unique talents to infiltrate them and bring us word of what they plan to do," Asher replied. Jareth gave him a quizzical look. Asher looked at his sister surprised. "Oh come now, don't tell me Ivory has not told you of her talents." The blank look Jareth gave him answered Asher's question. "Why, my dear little sister, I am surprised at you, leaving something as interesting as your past exploits hidden."

Ivory rolled her eyes and continued to nurse the bruises on her face. Sarah moved in a little bit.

"What past exploits are those?" Sarah asked.

"Ivory was the leader of the best reconnaissance team, what were they sister, Amphipteres?"

"Reconnaissance, High General," Jareth said. "This is news. We could have put you to better use."

"Yes, it was the amphipteres" she replied. "And it wasn't relevant, Sire." She reached into her medical kit and pulled out a salve. She put it on her eye and put the ice back over it. "Why haven't you called the Drow out to fight?"

Asher snorted, but immediately regretted the motion. His ribs protested violently. "You think that our father, who sends his warmest regards by the by, would send me all this way if we hadn't called them out?"

Ivory shrugged. "I suppose not," she said, sitting down. "Then they aren't coming out to your calls?"

"What do you mean call them out?" Jareth asked. "You can't possibly mean that you go to them and ask them to fight you."

Asher's look didn't instill Jareth with confidence. He raised an eyebrow at the Chaldean. He would never understand them. He would occasionally worry about the blood lust Ivory displayed when she fought. This Chaldean man wasn't helping his image of the people very much either. Ivory never spoke of her home, and so everything Jareth knew came from legends and rumors the fey told about the barbaric, violent world that existed beyond the border of the Drow Mountains.

"So, what is happening if you are not able to call them out?" Ivory asked. "Are they just not responding to the invasions?"

Asher shuddered. "Hardly," he replied. "We invade, and they obliterate us."

"Obliterate?" Ivory asked incredulous. "You mean a complete destruction?" Never in her years as a Chaldean soldier had she ever heard of Drow obliterating troops. There would be some loss of course, on both sides, but they would leave enough alive to get the message that war had been declared. To obliterate them was the equivalent of stepping on a cockroach. The Chaldeans had suddenly become nuisances to crush under a heavy boot.

"Yes," Asher replied. "None left."

"Then how do you know that they killed them?" Sarah asked.

Asher grimaced. "The Drow would send us the severed head of the battalion leader, usually stuffed with dirt." He shook his head and sighed. He reached over to Ivory's medical bag and examined a few of the salves she had in there. He held one up to his sister, who just nodded. Asher twisted the top off and put the yellow salve on his lip. He put the ice back over it.

Sarah shuddered. "How could they do that?"

Asher shrugged. "It's a very poignant message."

"And what has this to do with the High General?"

"We were hoping that Ivory could slip in there and tell us what is going on. It's unlike the Drow to stay silent so long, and it's making us nervous." Asher explained.

Jareth crossed his arms. "Unfortunately, the High General cannot be spared to help a people who would not help her," he said. Asher looked from Ivory to Jareth and snorted.

Asher stared at his sister for a moment. "You would let him dictate your life, Ivory?" He asked in Chaldean. The High General shrugged.

"I'm more of an outlaw than you Asher," she replied. "I cannot return to Chaldea, or consider myself a citizen of my homeland." She sighed and leaned forward. "Asher, you must understand that."

An angry red bloomed underneath the bruises of Asher's face. "What I understand Sister is that you are now, when your people need you most, going to stay by this little Fey dog!"

Ivory narrowed her good eye at him. "Where were my people when I needed them most?" She demanded, standing to her feet. "Where have they been for me when I was trapped, under a drow inquisition?"

"You know very—"

"What I know is that they cannot expect me to deviate from my present duties." Her tone insinuated an extreme finality to the conversation. Asher worked his jaw slightly, but conceded to let the matter drop. Upsetting Ivory was not going to be the way to get her to help. It would make matters worse. She could be like a dog sometimes. Once she bit down on something, she would hold on until she died as a matter of principle. There would be another way, another tactic he could use to bring her around to his way of thinking.

"Very well then," he said returning to English. "What is to become of me in the interim?" He asked.

Ivory shrugged. "You will stay here. I'd rather have you where I can see you," she replied. "I will take you to my cottage later, until then—"

Asher smiled. "Until then, the Lady Sarah can show me to the kitchen and perhaps a few other things," Asher said with a suggestive arch of his eyebrow.

Sarah timidly looked at Jareth. He goblin king only flexed his jaw and waved them off. "All right," she said. "I guess I can, but please put your shirt back on." He nodded and slowly pulled his shirt over his head. In a few minutes later, he was ambling along behind her.

Ivory was still leaning back in her chair when she felt Jareth's hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure that you're all right, Ivory?" He asked. She nodded slowly.

"If Asher had wanted to hurt me, he would have."

"I didn't mean with that. You seem a little upset with him for a moment. Though, I don't speak Chaldean, I cannot be sure."

Ivory sighed. "Well, when people seem to forget you for centuries and then suddenly show up wanting help, it can appear to be a little self-serving." She sighed and considered what her brother had said. "The Drow must be planning something though. They love to fight and test out their new technologies."

"Does it worry you?"

She put the ice down and moved to her map of the Underground. She fingered the Drow Mountains on the map. "Not so much for Chaldea, but for what it represents for us. The Drow are taking extreme measures to ensure that we will not start war now," she said. Jareth nodded, and they went silent for a while.

Jareth looked at the door where Asher and Sarah went and started brooding. "I am not entirely sure I'm pleased with your executive decision to let your brother stay here."

Ivory grinned slightly, trying not to pull on her already split lip. "All the subjects already deem my word as good as yours, so I figured I would abuse my power a little bit."

Jareth rolled his eyes. "Really, Ivory?" He asked. He looked at the doorway again. Asher was far to charming for his own good. He just hoped that Sarah would be put off by the man's overt nature. He sighed. "I don't like your brother."

"Most men don't, but it's safer to know what Asher is up to than to have him around. He's very quick on his feet." She sat back down and put a fresh ice pack on her eye. "I could see him trying to work out a new solution to get me to the Drow Mountains. If you're worried about Sarah—"

"I am not," Jareth snapped. "I have no reason to worry. She has already denied me twice. I don't think I could take any more dejection."

"Very well," she said. Ivory looked at the map, but couldn't remove her eyes from the border between the Drow Mountains and the Fey lands. She had an intense dread that something was going to happen, and it wasn't going to be pleasant at all.

FIN

Unholy cow! This was long. I didn't mean for it to be, but this would be something similar to an opening chapter of a story that I never intend to write. For context, it takes place after _And No Birds Sing_. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated. You all know how life is, it beats you into the ground and just when you think it's gone, it kicks you again. Lol. Nothing bad going on, just busy though, which is a good thing—all right I'll stop rambling now.

Zeta: Apparently I never replied to your last one. I'm glad my writing speaks to you. And yeah, I do use the word path a lot. Also, I'm glad you like how I write Jareth. He's a little easier to write when he's playing a straight man to the comic relief. And for whatever reason, Never ending cakes from the pan caught on for a tick. Lol

Lylabeth1: I'm really grateful that you enjoy my work so much. I guess authors are their own worst critics.

Anyway, All y'all out there had ought to put a little contribution in the little box.

TTFN

Baby Turtle


	30. Playing the Melody Theme 67

100 THEME CHALLENGE

THEME 67: Playing the Melody

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda legal jargon, blah blah blah, lawyer talk, ramble ramble ramble, basically I don't own anything that belongs to rich people who aren't me. Blah blah blah, I'm poor, and make no money…. Yadda yadda yadda

The essence of stale cigarettes permeated my mouth, seeping into every inch of my system. Snorting a small gust of air, I tried to clear my senses to little avail. The second I inhaled again the musk rushed back into my lungs. If that had been the only thing wrong with the air, I would have ignored it tolerably well, but it wasn't. That taste of spice—the taste of magic that lingered on the tongue so well at home had utterly dissipated.

Glancing at the balcony, I saw the figure of the High General silhouetted by the blazing amber sky. Her shoulders heaved upwards, grazing her short hair as she sucked in the surrounding air. They drooped downward defeated as the precious scent of magic evaded her. I let my eyes linger on her figure for a few moments longer, recalling how strong her shape had been, but that had been before the war—before she'd caught me and. . .

I let go of that thought and turned my eyes to the cuff gripping my ankle. It was a simple leather cuff, reminiscent of a bird tether. The sickle shaped insignia of the Labyrinth embellished it; the silver and gold glinting gently in the fading day light.

Languidly letting my head lull against the pillow, I moved my eyes towards the High General. I watched her tense her muscles, suddenly on edge. She'd felt my gaze, and a little smirk played at the corner of my mouth. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I recalled a hard-bodied but softer-spirited High General appearing in the court for the first time. Large blue eyes alight with wonder. Her hair was longer then too. . .

The door rushed open as the High General pushed her body through the frame. She leveled a flint-eyed gaze at me, to which I merely smirked.

"It's a pity you came in, High General," I said. "You looked positively poetic out there, almost as poetic as you did that one time in the garden."

She ignored the memory of a snow-filled garden where the tips of my fingers grazed the strong line of her round jaw.

"I'm not the High General anymore; I resigned."

I swung my legs off the bed and leaned forward on my knees. "My darling Ivory, you will never retire from your position. You're far too loyal for your own good."

She arched a thick black eyebrow and then turned to the small sink outside of the bathroom. Water rushed from the tarnished faucet into Ivory's cupped, gloved hands she splashed some on her face.

"You seem a little tense High General," I said smirking at her.

Her head jerked up, and ice colored eyes glowered at my reflection. A Cheshire grin spread over my mouth as I watched her back muscles constrict underneath her cotton shirt.

"I am not the High General," she ground out.

Feeling a chance to challenge her authority I fluidly moved from the bed to stand behind her. The crown of her head grazed against my chin, reminding me of her height. Her body hunched down, shrinking away from me as I put my hands on her arms.

"Do I make you nervous, Ivory? Are you afraid I'll run away?"

She whipped around, pressing the frigid, smoothly sharp point of dagger into my stomach flesh. "Try me," she hissed, grabbing my collar and pulling me closer. The blade pricked into my flesh. "Try me and you'll wish I'd left you to the matriarch."

I put my mouth next to her ear. "My darling, High General, I would never dream of abandoning you, Labyrinth curse or not."

Her jaw tensed and her long fingers curled in my collar a little tighter. Gently, I put my hand on her arm, feeling the muscles tense and relax underneath the light pressure of my fingers.

Suddenly she relinquished me, shoving me backwards, her eyes cast downward. Forcing the blade back into its sheath, she turned back towards the sink.

"For the last time, Seth, I am not the High General," she yelled.

Arching an eyebrow at her, I moved back to the bed to lounge. We were both silent for a moment. I was watching her towel water off her face and neck. There had been so much changed after I took over.

"Yet here we are in the Aboveground, at my dear brother's, _the Goblin _King, behest. You still do his bidding."

Ivory's head jerked a half turn towards me. "I wanted to see Sarah and Toby myself. Besides I needed to be a—" she snapped her jaw shut with a shake of her head. "I wanted to be certain no harm had befallen them here in the above." Her voice went quiet on at the end, as if she lost interest in her lie.

"My darling Ivory, I'm surprised at you," I said chuckling. "You never struck me as one to run—"

Suddenly, Ivory was back in my face, pushing me back against the head board. "I run from no one, Seth, least of all Jareth."

"You mean to say that _our dear Goblin King_ is the one to run?"

"I mean—" She shook her head and sat down on her own bed. "I mean nothing. You're coup did more than ruin the kingdom."

Smirking, I leaned back and stared at the fading light streaming in from the open window, illuminating the jagged edges of Ivory's hair.

The same halation had surrounded her in the tower of the Labyrinth when she'd cursed me to spend out my days as a Sterling. Rather than let me to the fate of a virulent and vindictive Drow matriarch or my brother's emollient nature Ivory cursed me with the cuff. It kept me under her control, changing me from man to beast at her whim. Only here, in the Above though. . .

The blazing orange sun finally sank beneath the tree line leaving the world a dark blue, but I watched light after light flicker to life, and soon the entire city blazed with cold white lights. I inhaled the night air that burned slightly at my lungs. Glancing over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Ivory's pale white feet contrasting with the maroon comforter. She crossed her ankles, and I turned my gaze back to the city.

Not far away a blue flashing bird caught my eye, reminding of the debauched parties I used to attend as a Prince and Ivory as my guard. Once, just once, she'd gone as my friend, danced with me, and for that night we were the same—outcasts hanging on to our positions by the fringe of my family's cloaks. It'd started something that. . .

Abandoning those memories for a new set, I swanned back into the little hotel room, leaning against the wall.

"Perhaps our quarters are too tight for us, Ivory. You and I we were always spirits going wherever the wind blew us."

Her almond shaped blue eyes forced themselves up from the book she was reading to bore holes into me. "What are you getting at?" She demanded.

"No need to be so upset, my dear, I was simply suggesting that we search out the night life here." I motioned towards the glowing city.

"If this is some plan to escape Seth—"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not, Ivory. I know you well enough to know that you'd hunt me down and do unspeakable things to me."

She clenched her jaw. "I'd give you to the Matriarch."

"Oh, my darling High General, that is cruel."

She arched an eyebrow and returned to her book. With a heavy sigh, Ivory dropped the book next to her. "I suppose Sarah and Toby aren't going anywhere tonight," she said.

A grin twitched at the corner of my mouth. "No, I suppose not."

Ripping her boots from the floor, Ivory jammed her feet into them. "I don't know what you're wanting to do, Seth. I haven't any more money."

"You forget, I am still magical despite your little curse," I said, disdainfully glaring at my ankle cuff. She snorted.

"Well, then" she said standing next to me. "Where would you like to go?"

I pointed toward the blinking blue lights of the Blue Flamingo. A wry chuckled shook her frame, as if she were laughing at some joke that I wasn't privy too.

"Well come on," she said taking me by the arm. We made our way towards the blinking lights, watching people pass by us. Suddenly, I felt Ivory lace her arm through mine, gripping me tightly.

The sudden action caught me off guard, and I looked down at her arm laced through mine, then too her face.

"Just to ensure you don't run away," she muttered. I smiled to myself.


	31. Under the Rain Theme 30

100 THEME CHALLENGE

THEME 30: UNDER THE RAIN—DEDICATED TO ME!  
Disclaimer: So, as we all know none of this stuff belongs to me, except well maybe me, but then I don't know if I really belong to myself. I belong to the craft I tell you! The CRAFT! Either way, I'm broke and make no monetary value from this, but your adulation is more than enough.  
*cough, cough lies cough, cough*

A/N: Thanks to Honoria Granger for pointing out my formatting error. I apologize to everyone who had the misfortune to see me not double check my work.

Please enjoy the correctly formatted version.

Another crash from the kitchen and yowl from the cat, reminded me that while the Goblin had left, he'd left his presence behind. With a heavy sigh, I walked to the kitchen and stared at the container of cat food upside on the floor and the cat in the corner growling. I sucked in air, trying not to lose my cool. That usually just made them laugh from where ever they were hiding. "I bet no other mortals are as lucky as me," I said grudgingly trying to pick up the container and not spill the remaining food out.

I'd just sat down when I heard my bed start creaking and the high pitched cackling laughter of goblins. Slumping forward, I sighed. "Normal," I muttered to the cat who had calmed down tolerably well. "Normal that's what mommy needs isn't it?" I asked scratching his chin. "Where can I go to get some normal?" He tilted his head so I could get behind his hear. "Yeah, you're right. Anywhere but here."

As I thought of the places I could go, I remembered a party I'd been invited too by a co-worker. Not a big crashing loud, frat party, but it was just a dinner get together that he was having with amiable adults. At least that's what he said. Though who still uses the word amiable in every day conversation is beyond me. I'd said I couldn't make it, but he told me to come if I changed my mind. I was too much of a hermit anyway. Right then, as I heard the toilet flush and a goblin yell "WEEEEEEE," I changed my mind.

I threw on a nice outfit hoping that I wasn't too dressed up, but I usually was. But then always better overdressed then under dressed right? I put the cat in his carrier, and then took him with me in the car. He'd gotten used to the extra traveling, but it was better than leaving him there with the Goblins. "I'm gonna have to talk to the GK about that," I said to him as I buckled the carrier into the back seat. "I mean, I can't leave you at home; I can't leave you in the car."

Pulling up to the party, I stopped talking and singing to my cat and pushed thoughts of goblins and their king out of my head. I was going to get a good, healthy does of normal, that involved minimal glitter and less cat torture. I'd been mingling quietly, I knew some of the people from work, but most of them were personal friends of my co-workers. I'd moved off to the corner, just reveling in reality when he approached me.

"Hey," he said.

"Hello," I replied, sipping my drink. He was tall, dark haired, blue-eyed, and had a charming smile.

"I'm Justin," He said sticking out his hand. I switched my drink to my opposite hand and shook his, introducing myself. "So, how do you know the host?"

"Coworkers," I responded. "You?"

"He's a friend of a friend. So, I'm assuming that you came alone, or you have a very bad date," he said.

"Alone, thanks for so subtly asking.' He grinned.

"Well, that's me subtle." That started the conversation that seemed to go on forever.

There was something magnetic about Justin that drew people in. He spoke with charisma, and self-assuredness that mesmerized me. It started there, not too long after we left the party and stayed out until late. Granted, late for me is anything after 1 AM. I drove home about three or four, floating. He was from out of town, but he only lived two hours north of here. Business had him in town the entire week, and we'd made plans to see each other the next afternoon for lunch.

After that week, he came down several times a week and weekends as well. We didn't spend too much time together since he was usually on business, and had this thing about getting to close too fast. Which, I was more than all right with, but the relationship stagnated to this for a few months. After a little while, I felt something off about the whole thing. I had expected the relationship to progress, but it seemed to be stalling. As if he spent time with me just to pass the time, not because he had any more interest.

We'd been seeing each other off and on for a few weeks when we were out at the movies one night. We were waiting for the pop corn, not really talking. He was texting someone on his phone, and I was watching the line trudge slowly forward.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and saw him smile. He must have known I was watching because immediately, he forced the corners of his mouth down sharply. That set a little alarm off in me.

"Who are you texting?" I asked.

He didn't take his eyes off the screen as he locked it and slide it in his pocket. "No one important," he replied, smiling at me.

The objections I had to making a scene prevented me from pressing the issue. What I really wanted to do was ask to show me the text or something like that. Or demand that he be honest with me and tell me if he was as exclusive as he was leading me to believe. He talked about moving down here or my moving up there and all sorts of things, which to me sounded as if he wanted something more serious.

I tried to put the thoughts in the back corner of my mind as I ordered the popcorn, but it didn't work. Not even Thor could distract me; the thought of being lied to started to consume my mind, no matter what I told myself.

After the movie, we were walking out when I saw him check his phone. I couldn't see all of the message, just the first part from a girl named Janet. "Hey, last night was really. . ."

I clenched my jaw. I looked from his phone to his blue eyes, preparing to demand for him to show me the text. He must have caught my stare, because he slipped the phone in his pocket and kissed me.

Looking back, I fixed that moment in my mind as the night it ended. The visits tapered off first, and then followed by the calls and texts. It dragged on for another three weeks like this. I would text him and it would be hours before he responded, or I would call him, and he'd flip me over to voicemail.

I'd started to get overly suspicious. I'd been down this path with this behavior. I wanted to think it was just me, but I knew it wasn't. If he wanted to talk to me, he would. Since wasn't, he obviously didn't.

My suspicion couldn't cloud the joy I felt when called that night however. At some point, he'd told me he planned to come down for a visit on Saturday. He wanted to spend the entire weekend here. I figured he was calling to ask what I wanted to do.

"Hey," I said, barely containing my excitement.

"Hey, um, look," he started out. I could tell by his tone that he was going to break our plans off. "I'm really sorry, but some work stuff came up. I won't be able to come down this weekend."

"Oh," I said quietly. I figured there was no sense in trying to change his mind, because when it came to work, he always picked that over anything else. As I launched into a new conversation about his day, he cut me off.

"I have to go. Talk to you later." He said, hanging up.

"Okay," I replied to the air basically and flopped back on my bed. I lay there for a moment before I heard a plaintive meow from my cat. I sighed.

"Yeah, I know," I replied, staring at the ceiling. "Men suck." The cat jumped up on the bed, shifting the weight a little bit he meowed at me again. I reached a hand out to pet him, but recoiled quickly when I touched something sticky. I turned my head ever so slightly and groaned loudly when I saw the cat sitting on my bed covered in glittery green paint.

"GOBLINS!" I yelled. Their antics had slowed over the past few months with Justin's presence lurking around, but this last week, it seemed they were making up for lost time. I heard the chittering giggles, and slamming cupboards. Groaning, I picked the cat up and took him to the bathroom to rinse him off.

As I scrubbed my cat's fur clean, I thought about what I could do to see Justin. That little vibe indicator that I kept in the back of my mind told me to drop the issue and move on, but I ignored it, as I had been doing since I saw that his friends list on face book was blocked. I just chalked it up to my general expectation that nearly every man was a cheater.

I decided to just go up there. I could get up early on Saturday morning, drive all the way up there, see him, and possibly spend a few hours. It seemed fair since he usually drove down here. He almost always insisted on driving down here; as if my going up there was out of the question.

Later, I searched his name on and got his address. From there, I put it in my phone for the shortest route available. It avoided the interstate, which is just as well because there was always insurmountable construction on the interstate. Checking the weather, which promised to be sunny and warm, I deiced to wear my white sun dress and heeled sandals. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought I recalled hearing that white was the traditional color for an Indian funeral, but I wasn't sure.

Everything in place in mind, I just had to wait until Saturday.

I rolled out of bed around 4 AM that Saturday. Groggily I dragged myself to the kitchen, ignoring the trail of powdered sugar going from the kitchen to the living room. I put the coffee on and went to go shower.

Showered and coffee in hand, I went to go check the sky since my apartment seemed unusually dark. Pushing back my curtains, a dark black sky greeted me, threatening to break loose on me. It was too late; I had already picked out my clothes and didn't have anything else prepared to wear.

"Stupid weather man," I muttered as I continued to get dressed, praying the rain would hold off until I was safely inside somewhere.

I looked at my cat who just meowed, as if he was prepared to go on my trip with me. "Sorry, baby," I said scratching his head. "I don't know what my plans are, and you don't like staying the car for hours." I said giving him a good rub down. "I wish the goblins leave you alone while I'm gone."

I hoped using the magic word wish would do some good, but I knew goblins were prone to be little monsters. Much like their king, they did whatever the devil pleased them most.

Grabbing my travel coffee mug, I meandered down to my car. As I unlocked the door with the key, I glared at the sky. "Sunny and warm my foot," I grumbled, sliding into the car. I sucked a deep breath and pulled up the travel directions on my phone. This was going to be an adventure, I was sure. I hoped Justin didn't mind my sudden arrival.

Then I started going through all the possibilities of what could go wrong. By the time that I pulled out of my apartment complex, I was convinced that I could turn around, and nearly did. What stopped me? I was already on my way, and I knew I would not be satisfied until I saw for myself, so no time like the present.

As I drove down the empty road, I kept an eye on churning clouds. The loomed over head making the whole world seem overly saturated, especially on this lonely morning. The directions took me through a back road, which accounted for the solitude.

Two hours ticked by until I pulled into the little suburban neighborhood. Cookie cutter houses in various shades of blues and greys lined the streets. Elderly people were in their yards working before the day got hot. Though with today's cloud coverage, there was no promise of warmth of any kind. A cold angry wind had blustered around all day.

Winding my way through the neighborhood, I finally landed in front of Justin's house. There was a pink bike in the drive way, complete with streamers. A little girl's play house was also in the front. The minivan parked in the drive way sported a sticky saying "Soccer Mom." Justin's car parked next to it.

I double checked the address on my phone, I'd come to the correct place. I quickly searched his address again; it was correct. But this just didn't seem right. Why would . . .

I sat in my car a few more minutes, staring at the dark blue door, wondering what to do next. Rapping my fingers against the steering wheel, I debated. Intelligence said to drive back home and find a nice coffee shop. My curiosity, which usually got the better of me, said "go and find out."

I mean if he was married, I would want to know. Maybe that was his sister's car. I'd live with my brother if I thought it would benefit us both. It's not that weird for siblings to live together. I couldn't recall if he had any tan lines on his hand where a wedding band should have been, but then maybe he didn't wear it.

Or maybe, and most likely, I'm a masochist and enjoy emotional pain.

I never claimed to be that intelligent, either.

I wrapped my arms around myself as I briskly trotted up the sidewalk to his house. With each step, my heart thrummed against my ribcage, and my sun dress suddenly seemed tight and restrictive. Blood rushed through my ears as I knocked on the door.

At first, no one answered, relieving me of the terror of what I might find. I about turned away when a six year old girl answered the door. I choked on any words that I might have had. She just blinked at me.

Then, when a woman, who was about thirty appeared behind her daughter, I nearly threw up right then and there.

"Can I help you?" She asked, squinting at me.

"Uh, um. . . I'm. . . is . . . I'm from the humane society, and Mr. Scott had talked with one of our branch managers here. Well we were wondering if you we could discuss the appropriation of his funds that he donated."

I knew it was a thin cover, and hoped she'd buy it.

The woman narrowed her eyes at me. "Kaylee, go back inside," she said. She opened the door for her daughter to pass and the pulled the door closed behind her as she stepped out. Crossing her arms at me, she squinted again.

She, had short blonde hair, an angular face and large brown eyes. From what I could see under the pajama pants and house coat, she looked fit.

"You can cut the act now," she said. "I know you're not from the humane society. You're too dressed up. And while you're at it you may want to tell me why you want too-" she dropped off in mid-sentence. Her large brown eyes fixated on me, as if something all came together. She cocked her head to the side and glared at me.

I felt my mouth open and the start of an apology roll off my tongue, but she cut me off.

"You have got some nerve coming here!" She yelled. "I mean, it's bad enough that he's cheating on me, but you don't have to parade in front of me." She let out a strangled screech, at that seemed to hold the key to the room of tears she started pouring out.

I just stood there dumbfounded and amazed. If I had known Justin was married, or even committed, I would have punched him in the throat and walked away, maybe even sent goblins to torment him. I tried to talk to her, but every time I said anything she just screamed.

"And then my son, found those dirty e-mails! How could you? How could you dare show your face around here? He's fourteen. Do you know what it's like to explain to a fourteen year old boy that his dad is having an affair?"

Suddenly, I was angry. "What?" I snapped. I was perfectly willing to let her blame me for what I had unknowingly done. "I never sent him anything dirty." I replied vehemently.

She looked at me blankly, tears still streaming out of her red, puffy eyes.

"Look, I get you're upset. You've got every right to be. But honestly, I didn't know he was married. He cancelled our plans this weekend; that's why I'm here. If I had known, I would have caused him bodily harm. Whoever he was getting these e-mails from it wasn't me."

She blinked a few times, searching my face for the truth.

"So, it looks like he was three, probably four timing all of us. I'm really sorry that your husbands a-a-he isn't even good enough for the curse words I'm comfortable using in public."

I suddenly felt the pain in my nose, like I'd snorted water. A signal that tears were on their way. I didn't want to be standing on this porch sobbing along with this woman. I decided to make a quick exit. Jamming my hand in my purse, I fished out a business card.

"Here," I said. "This has all my contact info and name and everything. If you need a character witness to corroborate what you've gone through, call me. Tell the scum if he ever tries to contact me again, I will make his death look like an accident."

Her mouth dropped open and she numbly took the business card from my hand.

I bolted down the drive way for my car, trotting as quickly as I could in my heels. I didn't want anyone to see my cry. I whipped into my seat, just as the first tears started rolling down my cheeks. I got a safe distance away before leaning my head into the steering wheel, sobbing.

I felt a pain in my chest, stupid wounded pride and ego, thinking I could actually land a decent guy. For a moment, I wanted a goblins comfort, because despite being slightly gross, they were always very concerned when I got upset. Not that Jareth made them that way; the creatures were just naturally curious and anything out of norm perturbed them. Once I'd cried at sat movie and a little one crawled on the back of my sofa and patted my head.

As I sat there, the first drops of the rainstorm sprayed down on me. "Oh, go ahead, rain!" I yelled at the sky.

Heaving a heavy breath, I started on my quiet and lonely journey home.

I spent the better part of the first hour crying, until I caught a glimpse of myself. My hair had matted and tangled from all the wind blowing earlier. My eyeliner and mascara had forged rivers down my face. I looked less like a girl, and more like something the cat left on the door step.

I think I zoned out at some point. I didn't remember mostly how I got where I was going. The road was still deathly empty, and I my sadness had engrossed me entirely. Suddenly, the car jerked right, trying to go off the road. I yanked the steering wheel to the left, over correcting, again nearly going off the road.

I corrected again; this time releasing the gas pedal from the pressure of my foot. I rolled to a stop on the side of the road. Looking behind me, I could still see piece of black tire flying around in the window.

Having had enough of today, I started banging on the steering wheel screaming. Finally, my little cyclone blew out, and I had to deal with the problem at hand. I needed to go check the tire. I had a spare in the trunk, so maybe it wasn't too bad.

Of course, then there was the dilemma of the rain. I stared at the heavy drops pouring on my window. I couldn't change that, but I couldn't just sit there. I hadn't seen anyone for hours.

Sucking in air, I cut the car off and opened the door, jumping out. The tire was completely shredded. I figured I could change it all right, but I had to get the tire, tire iron, and jack out of the trunk first. I scurried to the trunk preparing to press the fob, but I had nothing in my hands.

The increasing mud squished around my shoes, coming over my toes as I trotted back to the front door. I grabbed the car handle and gave a firm tug. Nothing happened. A little panic sparked through my entire body as I started yanking on the door.

Still nothing.

I tried one last time, willing the door to budge, but nothing still. It was locked. With a frustrated sigh, I looked in the window. My keys and my phone were in the passenger seat. I was stuck. As a last effort, I walked around the car trying all the doors. By the time I reached the front passenger seat, the rain had my white dress drenched. The skirt tangled in my legs, and my feet slipped constantly in my shoes from the mud.

I cried like a little baby jerking wildly on the door. Still nothing happened.

Frustrated beyond reason I started screaming at the car, and at Justin, and at life. I must have looked like a lunatic, kicking the tire, flailing around, shouting nonsense about aardvarks and karma.

I gripped the door handle one last time and yanked it outward, expecting my measly strength to match up with a car. The rain had made my hands and the door handle slick, so as I pulled back my hand slipped. I had been using so much force that I went flying backwards into a mud puddle.

The mud squiched around me as I landed in it. I just sat there for a moment staring at the car in disbelief, shivering. A fresh wave of tears started making their way down my face. I looked down at my mud soaked white dress and sighed. Nothing I could do about that. I wiped the mud off my hands as best I could, and pushed my hair out of my face.

Apparently, the clouds this morning was the weather's attempt at warning me to not go out, but silly me I didn't listen, and it seemed like I was going to pay the price.

Sighing, I hauled myself to my feet and walked back to the car. I looked both ways, but new no one was going to come any time soon. I contemplated walking, but I had no clue where I was, and no one knew I was out here. They'd find my body somewhere in a ditch missing my hands and my head, because I would take DNA samples with me to the grave-

I stopped that line of thought and focused on the present. Trudging back to the car, I stared at my phone watching the screen light up with a call. Pity I couldn't answer it; unless it was Justin, then I would take my chances with my imaginary rapist serial killer.

I thought about my cat at home and what the goblins must have been doing to him-goblins! that was it. I could call Jareth, though a snowball had a better chance in hell than of Jareth's answering me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I said, "I wish the Goblin King would come to me right now!"

I waited for a brief second before opening one eye, and then the other. Nothing.

With a depressed sigh, I leaned against the car waiting for someone to come by. If it got too late, I deiced I would crack the window with my shoe, if I could. I huddled against the car, rubbing my hands on my arms trying to get circulation. I nestled between the side view mirror and the car door.

The rain had slowed from a heavy, painful torrent to a steady rainfall. It pattered rhythmically in waves on the road. Once I stopped moving, my body temperature regulated enough that I actually felt warm in the cold rain.

Alone and exhausted, I nodded off into a light sleep.

It was the sudden absence of rain and a cold breeze that woke me up. I shook my head trying to blink away sleep and stretch my muscles. My feet hurt terribly. Looking out at the road, I saw that it was still raining there, but not on me. Confused, I looked up at the sky and noticed that I was under a black umbrella. For the first time I noticed a shadow to my left.

Jareth.

He stood there, holding the umbrella primly, grinning at me. "Well, hello there," he said finally.

I blinked. "You came."

"You called."

I nodded.

"You look absolutely frightful. I can't imagine this is how you intend to meet prince charming, so I'm assuming we are post-midnight in this fairy tale."

I rolled my eyes. "Prince charming turned into an ugly step-sister."

"He was a woman?" Jareth asked flatly. I glared at him.

"Fine, he turned back into a frog."

"There was no frog in Cinderella," he said. I would have punched him in the arm right then and there if I hadn't been so afraid he'd leave.

"How do you know any of this anyway? If you have been spying on me Jareth, that's pretty creepy."

"I don't spy on anyone, my dear. Goblins aren't so insipid that they do not bring me news of my mortals." He replied.

I snorted. "Your mortals," I said under my breath. "Look do you think you could open the car and fix my tire?" I asked, turning towards him. I really just wanted to get out of these wet dirty clothes, take a long, long hot shower and go to bed.

"Are you questioning my abilities?" He asked, arching a blonde eyebrow.

Titling my head back, I moaned. "No, I'm not questioning anything, Jareth. I know you're powerful. I'm just asking for you to do it."

He smiled and bowed his head towards me. "Anything you wish, darling." He waved his hand and I heard the doors unlock and suddenly the tire reappeared.

"Oh, I could kiss you right now," I said moving to hug him. He stepped back.

"You're disgustingly muddy, please do me a favor and do not touch me until you have bathed and properly redressed," he said tersely. I was too elated to even care.

"Whatever," I muttered opening the door and climbing in, kicking off my shoes with a sigh of relief. I grabbed my phone and saw several texts and calls from Justin. Annoyed, I tossed the phone back into passenger seat.

Jareth stood between the open door and me, using the umbrella to shield us both from the rain. "It must be an interesting story to know how you managed to end up here." He surveyed the isolated surroundings. I laughed wryly.

"Well, I went to meet prince charming, and I met his wife instead. I was on my way home when my tire blew, and now I'm here."

He studied my face and must have seen I was on the verge of a fresh round of frustrated tears. "I will do you one more favor, my little mortal," he said.

"You're being oddly generous."

"I can be generous; you know this," he said.

"All right, what's the catch?" I asked.

"No catch," he said, smirking at me. "I actually pity you, how hard you try and fail."

"Thanks Jareth," I muttered, leaning my cheek against the steering wheel.

"Well, I can not do it, if that is what you would like."

I sat up and looked down the road. I wasn't sure how much further it was, but the direction today seemed to be running in did not present many happy opportunities. I looked up at Jareth, his blonde hair, made a stark contrast of the black umbrella, making it look like a halo.

Wrinkling my nose, I said, "Well, I'm sure this will entitle you to a favor somewhere down the road, but all right." Jareth smirked at me and raised his eyebrows. "That's not an invitation to torment me again."

He laughed and held out his and for me. Taking it, I closed my eyes as we transported. I had never done it before, so I didn't know how it was supposed to feel. I felt myself moving laterally, but then something jerked me down, nauseating me.

To avoid puking all over my couch, I waited until I the entire room settled around me before opening my eyes. Something wasn't right though. The room didn't feel right spatially; it felt too open.

I opened my eyes, and made an angry gargling noise.

I was most definitely not in my tiny little apartment. I stood in the center of a lavish study. Bookshelves lined the walls, stopping on either side of a large, blazing hearth. Plush velvet furniture dotted the room, more specifically barred me from Jareth.

Our eyes locked. Jareth looked slightly perturbed as my eyes went wide with realization and rage. I launched across the room to wrap my muddy fingers around the Goblin King's throat. Something halted me in mid stride; we both looked over to see a tall red headed woman grinning at us. I turned to Jareth, whose entire composure had wilted like a flower in the first frost.

Insert Belt's Dun-dun-dun here.

I'm going to finish this stupid challenge if it's the last thing I do. Let's hope it's not, because I would really like to write the next great American novel for people to hate. For all those of you who care, no, I'm not going to do Jareth x OC here. That's been done to death, and even been done by me kind of. If you're curious, go check out "And No Birds Sing". Anyway, this little ditty has been jangling around in my head for a long while, and now it's out. Thankfully.

Honoria Granger: Well, my world my rules. Why not through a little pizazz in there? Besides, I wouldn't imagine that the entire Underground would be completely archaic. Also, I'm operating under the assumption that more than one person can move between the worlds. But then again, you don't have to read my things. But thanks for responding all the same.

Grace: I'm sorry you don't have a taste for the pet name precious. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of Golloum, but it comes from the movie more than anything. As for using darling or dear, I use those in every day speech with every day people, and usually it's when I'm being sarcastic. All that aside, Jareth just doesn't strike me as the kind to say baby or babe. Also, as far as what you just figured out, you can PM and let me know if it's confusing. It may be clarity on my part.

And as always, thanks for the reviews. I don't care if you all want to flame the stars out of me. I welcome it. It helps to develop a thick writer's skin, which is key. So, tell me what you all think, and please leave a little contribution in the box!

TTFN


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